


Our Second Chance

by edwardelricistheawesomeness



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Adorable Altaïr, Altair's Learning, Assassin Teachers, Assassin Training, Assassination, Charming Desmond, Children, Courtesans, Damascus, Desmond Can Sing, Map Making, Masyaf, Storytelling, Templars, The Animus (Assassin's Creed), Time Travel, Young Altair, Young Characters, Young Malik, mentor Desmond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-08-24 06:40:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 54,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8361382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edwardelricistheawesomeness/pseuds/edwardelricistheawesomeness
Summary: After the events of Assassin's Creed Three, Desmond is thrown back in time, and finds himself in the Holy Land once more. How will he get back to his own time, when he has to live through the next 800 years?





	1. I'm in Masyaf, and I meet Altair

**Author's Note:**

> After Desmond releases Juno he dies. But as a last chance Minerva interferes. And so, instead of dying it throws him back in time to 1160, after living EVERY SECOND of Altair, Ezio, Haytham, and Connor lives, instead of the pieces he saw in the Animus.
> 
>  
> 
> He then uses his knowledge based upon living the lives of Altair, Ezio, Haytham, and Connor to stop certain events from happening. He realizes that he doesn't age, and has the physical capabilities of a full fledged assassin, as though he never stopped training. Along with his knowledge upon the edited hidden blade.
> 
>  
> 
> After a visit from Minerva, he is told he won't age until he lives back to his own time.... Which is 852 years away. He uses this the time between his arrival and Altair's evaluation to master his skills. Which include being unable to die by any wound, save decapitation.

 

 

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Desmond POV**

 

I yank up the mask on my face. It's a simple white cloth that covers my nose and mouth, keeping my face hidden. I chuckle, reminiscing memories of the last 16 years. I sit lightly up upon the highest tower of the castle and think, allowing myself to think back to the life I used to lead. To before I was Desmond, in 1176. We had claimed the apple, stopped the Templars, saved the world.... And had been betrayed by Lucy. 

 

Then I was stuck in a coma, I even got to meet Subject 16. Then it was off to saving the world again, and this time, it was through Haytham and Connor. And in the end, it came down to me and Juno. And I had released her, and died. Only to have Minerva intervene and send me here. Back to where everything started, so that I could maybe fix it. 

 

I shook my head, yanking myself from the thoughts of those I had left behind. One of the many things I had learned over the last 16 years, was to never sit on one thought for too long. I had trained alone for 8 years after my arrival, before joining the brotherhood and remaining here. I had also shared my version of the hidden blade, to which I was welcomed into the brotherhood with open arms. 

 

I had joined the brotherhood after speaking to the Master. Who was Al Mualem, a man I disliked speaking too. Yet still I was allowed to join the Brotherhood and wear my mask, after a few words with him. He did not know who I was, only that I was different. I am now one of the many teachers in the Brotherhood. 

 

My teachings cover Free Running and climbing. Teaching them how to fall, and how to catch themselves. Along with the basics of life here at Masyaf. I’ll also begin teaching them swordsmanship, a few intellectual lessons, and evaluating them for choosing their place here at Masyaf. Be it an Assassin, or a Scholar or Guard. 

 

One of the reasons I am the teacher of free running and climbing is I am one of the 6 people in the Brotherhood who can climb this tower from the outside, and I had taken the time to set a hay bale up so I could jump from here. All students entering the brotherhood must pass my exam. After that they receive Mentors from the other brothers, and joint Swordsmanship and horseback riding lessons. 

 

Here I am simply known as Desmond. I have no last name, as I refuse to allow my father to keep a hold on me, even though he is yet to be born. I sigh lightly, glancing down at the courtyard. Today was a special day. Today was the day we begin training the newest group of Assassins. Each group is made up of boys, who are all 8 years old, and all of them physically capable of running and climbing. 

 

As I watch I see a young Male enter the Tower, behind him a group of around 14-18 boys follow behind him. They move together as a group, trying to follow but not anyone of them leading. He leads them to the area right in front of the sparring ring, asking them to wait as he walks over to the library and enters. All of them are dressed the same, the robe white and cut for movement, kneehigh boots and fingerless leather gloves with a red sash tied around their waist and a hood hanging behind them. 

 

I sit up slightly and look carefully, and as I do I easily pick out the young man who I have waited 16 years to meet. All of them are the children of other assassins. All have trained under them for the last two years. Yet one of them different, one of them has the same golden brown eyes as mine, one of them is Altair. He's standing next to another boy, Malik, based on his height and their body language toward each other. 

 

The children are all silent, looking around and absorbing, jumping as Assassins begin appearing. I move, shifting from a sitting position to a crouched one, balancing on the tower wall. We pour out of the open doorways, all wearing their hoods. The others stream out filling the courtyard and forming a ring around the boys, who all instantly huddle closer as they approach. 

 

Al Mualem then exits the library and steps softly into the courtyard, standing at the banister, looking down at all of them. It takes but a moment for their attention to switch from the men around them to the man above, staring at him with wide eyes. I can't help but grin, finding Al Mualem and his theatrics captivating, once more thinking back to the point where I stood there as Altair. 

 

My attention snaps back as Al Mualem finishes his speech. "Now don your hoods, and become one of the brotherhood." In unison the boys all pull up their hoods, shadowing there faces in the shade they provide. As this happens the others slowly disperse, Al Mualem himself returning to his study within the library. 

 

Two brothers approach the group, Aslam and Tamask by the look of it, motioning them all over and saying "Yes yes. It's all alright. We are about to call your teacher down to us, he shall be the one to show you to your rooms." Another boy looks at them and says "Down?..." Tamask lets out a laugh and says "Yes! Down. Turn around and look up to find him!" They all turn, quickly finding me and letting out startled gasps. 

 

Aslam calls "Why don't you join us Desmond?" I let out a light laugh and stand, watching with a little humor as some of them stare, before jumping forward and performing a Leap of Faith. I grin openly at the loud calls of fear and astonishment. Landing softly in the pile of hay. I climb out easily and walk over, letting out a small snort at the looks of surprise I receive. Before saying "So you are the newest group yes? Good. You all look like fine young men."

 

The praise is light, and aimed at the group as a whole, yet there are still a few among them who preen at it still. Those are the ones you have to watch, and who you have to take care mentoring. Because if mentored wrong they will become glory seekers, those who cannot share the limelight, and who will seek praise constantly, disregarding the rules to get it. 

 

I see both Malik and Altair preen at the praise. They all gather around me, forming a half circle. I motion to the second tower of the castle, where the novices stay, and say "That tower will be your home, at least until you have completed your training. After that you shall move into another area of the castle, such as myself and the others live in this one." I motion to the tower I just jumped off of. 

 

I see a few of them nod. I then say "But before that, let's go for a run." I grin behind my mask, watching the looks of curiosity and surprise they show, along with a few ecstatic grins. I walk through the crowd, and began leading them out to the town. They watch me carefully, I can almost feel them burning holes in the back of my hood, before a familiar voice pipes up from the group. 

 

"Sir? Why is it that you wear a mask?" I turn to the voice, seeing all of the students looking at Malik, then turning their attention to me. I raise an eyebrow at the boy, smiling softly behind my mask, and reply "I wear my mask for the same reason you wear your hood. We are of the Brotherhood, of the Creed. One of many, a whole group instead of a single person. All actions not only reflect you, but your brothers and the creed as well." I say simply watching for a moment as the boys stare at me before I continue walking. 

 

I let out a small chuckle at the looks on their faces, hearing as they scramble to catch up with me. As we reach the cliff that juts off from the path up to the castle. I lead them up to the edge, standing with my back to the edge and turning to look like them. There is a ladder leading from this level to the next, and a drop of about 6 feet in between. I look at all of them and ask "You all know how to fall right?" 

 

I get a few confused looks as Altair slowly raises his hand. "Yes?" I say, giving him permission I speak. "You land in a tumble if you can... It helps to keep you from hurting yourself." He says, fidgeting slightly under the stares of his peers. I nod, giving him a slight smile behind my mask as I say "Exactly. Well done. Now. Who here knows how far they can fall without injury? Even with a tumble some heights will hurt you." 

 

This time it's Malik who raises a hand, fidgeting slightly as well at the stares of his peers as he says "A-anything over 6 feet without a tumble will hurt you. Over 15 feet and you hurt yourself regardless.... But sir. How did you jump from the Tower without hurting yourself?" I smile at him and say "Correct. And I will teach you how to do that later. But right now, let's work on jumping and falling alright? Follow me!" 

 

I then turn and jump off the small cliff, tumbling with practiced ease as I roll to my feet. I then quickly jump down and tumble the next two, landing easily as I roll to my feet. I turn around to look at them, as the entire group is still standing at the top. "Come on." I call, waving them all down. They all back up, before Altair and Abbas nod at each other, swapping a few words before jumping together. 

 

Altair easily falls into his tumble, but was slightly disoriented exiting it. Abbas however misjudged the distance and almost rolled off, but had the reflexes to catch himself. Altair quickly jumps off the next one, rolling into a tight ball but almost kneeing himself in the face before popping back up, Abbas easily makes it down the next one as well. The pair land identically on the ground next to me, both rolling nicely, but unable to roll to there feet in the same move. 

 

Both boys are panting, standing shakily, slightly dizzy from the jumps. "Well done the both of you. Your fathers taught you well. Now stand over here with me so the others can come down." I say to them, motioning over towards me. The pair stumble over to me, standing beside me as the other boys make their way down, Malik having come down right after Altair and Abbas. 

 

Once all of the boys are once again on the same level I shake my head and ask "Tired?" I get a few nods, as not only had the boys awoken early today for their initiation ceremony, they also had to walk up to the the Masyaf Stronghold, along with everything they just did in an outfit that's far heavier than what they're used to. I shake my head at them and say "Well too bad. I said we were going for a run remember? Now. Follow me! Stick close now." 

 

I turn quickly and take off, leaving the startled novices behind. They quickly regain their wits and run after me, Altair, Malik, and Abbas leading the group. I easily lead the group through the town, slowing down often to keep from losing them. By the time we got to the bottom of the village, right in front of the gates, everyone save myself was panting. I glance up at the sky, seeing the sun hot and blazing overhead.  _ Noon already? _ I think as I glance at the boys. 

 

Their all bent over, gasping for breath or clutching at a stitch in their side. I shake my head as I say "Come on." They follow, keeping close to me as the number of people in the square begin to grow, yet also shrink as they begin to seek shelter from the blazing sun. I lead them over to the stables, thinking that I can kill time by showing them the horses till the midday heat passes. We have a few horses kept ready at all times outside of the gate, but the rest of them are kept in the stables. 

 

I myself already have my own horse, a handsome black stallion named Alexander, who stays here in the stables except when I need or want to ride him. It's not because others won't ride him, it's because they can't. Alexander has a very bad biting habit, something he had before I got him. When the owner of a farm outside of Jerusalem died his sons set about to taking over his property, and getting rid of anything they didn't like. 

 

Alexander being one of the things that fell into this category. Apparently the stallion had always been bitey, and it had worsened over the year they had him, getting to the point that he wouldn't let anyone near him. They we're planning on selling him to a butcher when I had passed through. They had set up a corral for him, as he would bite anyone who passed by his stall, and simply let him roam.

 

I had walked up to the corral, carrying a few apples that I had bought from a merchant not to far from here. I was eating one as I leaned against the fence, watching him survey the area before his gaze found me. He trotted over, seeming to look me over from head to toe before stretching his neck out to sniff me. I had reached out a hand gently, allowing him to smell me before I pet him gently. 

 

I could tell that he hadn't been brushed in some time, and his coat wasn't as shiny as the others I had seen from here. He happily let me pet him as I fed him the rest of my apple, along with the other one, which he pleasantly munched on as I stroked his head softly. I had been standing with him for a few minutes, petting him as he nudged my robes in search of more apples, before two men had come running up to us. 

 

Alexander and let out a surprised whinny, prancing away from me as they approached. "Sir! Are you alright? He didn't bite you did he?" They asked quickly, I shook my head and said "No... He was just eating my apples." The pair had stared at me in disbelief for a moment before letting out a cheer and hugging me.

 

"Finally!" One of them had said, holding me at arm's length and saying "He was our fathers before his passing. He wouldn't let anyone near him without being bitten severely! Father hadn't even been able to name Him before his passing. And we were unable to care for him due to his nature!" This lead into a long night of drinking and haggling in which I received Him, and named him Alexander. 

 

Alexander had then been taken back to Masyaf with me and kept in the Brotherhoods stables. The handlers here were kind and gentle, and after a month or so Alexander allowed them to touch and brush him, but no one else could ride him but me so far. He was also wary of new people and was prone to bite those he didn't know. But I had a feeling that might soon change as we all entered the stables. The boys crowded close to me, watching the horses with awe and surprise. 

 

They had all seen horses before, they weren't bizarre or anything, it's just that the majority of them have never ridden one, as they won't learn that till after they pass my training. I greet a young handler named Kadeer, who sets down a crate of apples before stepping over to us. "Desmond! It is good to see you! And it seems you have brought your entire class to see me on this fine day, I'm honored." He says, flashing them all a friendly smile. 

 

I shake my head at him and return the smile, nodding at them and saying "I was wondering if they could help you feed them today, if you needed the help that is." He lets out a light laugh and says "They were just fed in fact, but you could let them feed them some apples from the crate there." He motioned to the crate he just say down. I nod at him as we split the novices into two groups to show them how to feed the horses. 

 

Altair, Malik, and Abbas had stayed with me during split up, along with 5 other boys. "Grab an apple." I say to them as I do so myself and walk over to a pretty brown mare. She tosses her mane importantly as I gently hold out the apple for her, flattening my hand so the apple sets easily on the palm of my hand. She looks at me for a moment before reaching her head forward to accept the treat, munching on it happily as I softly pet her head. 

 

I then show them exactly how to hold there hand to feed them, making sure they got it right, and warning them to be careful as not all horses are nice and all horses can bite. Before I let them go though I say to all of them "Horses are loyal creatures. They are our companions on missions and sometimes our most understanding friends. They never forget those who are kind to them, and they never forget those who are harsh to them." 

 

The boys nod, before separating off to look at feed them. Malik feeds a pretty grey Mare, while Abbas feeds a proud white stallion. The others easily finding a horse worthy of their attention, yet Altair has yet to find one, instead he walks slowly down the stables, apparently looking for a specific one. I notice him walking toward Alexander's stall and choose to stop him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder and saying "You can pick one as we walk together okay?" 

 

He nods, staying close to me as I grab another apple from the bin and say "Kadeer. How about we show them how to take care of a horse, as it will be their job during their training. Or should we just show them around and let them start that tomorrow?" Kadeer stretches lightly, glancing around before saying "I can show them around quickly while you go see to Alexander, as he decided he didn't like one of my newer apprentices." 

 

I nod, shaking my head at him and letting out a small laugh. "I'll go see to him. I'll meet you there in a few minutes?" I ask, to which he nods. He then leads the group off in another direction, as I myself grab a comb and a brush from the closet and a couple apples from the bin before walking over to his stall. As usual he's standing in the center of his stall, glancing up at me as I approach. He lets out a small whinny, stepping toward me and bumping my outstretched hand. I pet him softly as I offer him an apple, one he happily accepts as I enter his stall. I leave the door open, as I know he won't try to exit without me leading him. 

 

He munches happily as I gently begin brushing him, and by the time I'm done with that I can hear the group approaching. I place his stuff in the nearby bin and return to his stall. I shut the door to it, making sure it's locked before handing him another apple, one he happily munches on as we wait for the group to appear. As we wait I glance up at Alexander, noticing how he seems to straighten up even more, seeming even more intimidating. 

 

I want to laugh at him but shrug off the thought as I let him stare down at them. I can see Altair stare at him from my peripheral vision as I motion to him and say “This is my horse Alexander. You may see me on him from time to time. I am warning you now, he bites. He has for as long as I’ve had him. So be careful when you approach him, and never try and ride him.” 

 

They nod at me, taking a step away from him as they do. Altair however seems to be unafraid as he steps forward and offers the apple in his hands to Alexander, who looks down at the small boy with an expression I would almost describe as shock. Alexander then lowers his head slowly and accepts the treat, munching on it slowly before gently nuzzling Altair, who let's out a small laugh. 

 

I see Kadeer staring at him with a look of absolute awe. I nod at him before saying “Come on, let's get you all fed so I can show you your rooms.” I walk by them all, Altair on my heels as we move toward the exit. Kadeer stops us however when he says “One moment my friend, will you return here later today? I must speak with you about something.” I nod at him before leading them out of the stables. 

 

I look down at all of them and say “And now we run back!” Before taking off toward the castle. I hear a few startled sounds as well as them all running after me. Altair, Malik, and Abbas all stay close, seeming to be determined to out run everyone else. I glance back after a moment, seeing all of them struggling to run up the hill as I waited at the top. 

 

When they finally reached the top I nodded at them, letting out a small chuckle before saying “Was that hard? Because you all will be making that run every morning before your meal. Now, who’s hungry?” I turn and walk through the gate, hearing a few tired groans as they followed. I get a few nods as I walk, seeing quite a few familiar faces. 

 

I lead them through the castle, making my way toward the Hall, which was closer to the cliffs of the compound. I step through the giant double doors and see the beauty that is Masyaf. The hall is designed much like the Bureau's were, except instead of the ceiling having the slatted beams for light, the Hall had slatted doors that lead out into the garden, which was in full bloom this time of the year. 

 

All around us were lush rugs with pillows around them, the area designed for meals and conversation. Ladies garbed in white walked softly around the room, serving those already seated or speaking to the people around them. The smell of incense drifted lightly around the room, along with the smell of food. 

 

I lead my group to a large rug in the right corner of the room, which was pleasantly cool despite the time of day. As we sit a few Ladies approach us and set down a variety of dishes at the center of our rug, ranging from Lamb and Chicken Kebab to stuffed vegetables. I nod at them and say “Thank you.” To which I receive quite a few smiles before they place a tray of cups near us. 

 

I take a small plate and take a small amount from each dish, and am followed by everyone else.  _ I have to say, they are all very well mannered for children.  _ I pull down my mask just enough to eat, finding everything beyond amazing as it always is. As I finish up, leaving a small amount on my plate as someone walks over to us. 

 

I pull my mask up, having seen quite a few of my students attempt to get a look at my face as they ate, especially Altair and Malik, who sat to my right. Aslam walked to the edge of our rug, smiling down at me and asking “May I join you?” I nod at him and motion to my right, allowing him to sit in the space between Altair and I. 

 

Aslam sits and asks “How have they been?” I sigh and say “Better than your bunch. At least some of them knew how to tumble. You barely knew how to do that!” I nudge his side with a small smile, ensuring that he knew I was joking with him. Aslam let's out a laugh before saying “Oh really? They must have been perfect in order to earn your praise!” 

 

I see every boy in the group had gone quiet, watching us with rapt attention. Aslam turns his attention to the group and says “I was his apprentice 6 years ago. And I still hate that morning run, but I must say, I have outrun many guards because of it.” He gives them all a proud smile as they let out a few laughs. 

 

I sigh and shake my head as I smile at him from behind my mask. After a moment he says “Oh! I almost forgot, Al Mualem has asked that you meet him after the evening meal. He did not speak of what, only that it was important.” I nod at him, showing that I had heard him before saying “Then I must get them settled quickly, since I must still show them the castle.” 

 

He nods before standing and bidding us farewell. Malik looks up at me before back down at his hands, seeming to want to ask something. “Speak your mind boy. Even if the answer is one you don't like, the question is sometimes better asked, than left alone.” Malik jumps at my words before asking “W-well… I was curious about what area he had chosen…” 

 

I nod before saying “Aslam is, despite his rather fun loving nature, an Assassin. Although he sometimes puts his talents as a courier to use, he is deadly when need be.” Altair perks up at my words and asks “And you trained him?” I nod and say “Yes I did.” Abbas then asks “What other things can you do here?” 

 

“You will all choose a path to take after you complete my training. Be it a Scribe, a Courier, a Guard, an Accountant, a Stableboy, or an Assassin. Whatever you choose shall be the area you are trained in. And as you progress through my teachings I shall help you find a place where you can be your best.” I say, labeling a few of there choices. 

 

I than stand, placing my plate near the center of our rug, leaving it to be taken by the ladies around the room. I am followed by my class as they all stand and follow me, yet stop as I take a moment to complement our head cook, who is a woman around 30. After that I lead them to their tower, which was a rather annoying stair climb. 

 

I stop on the first landing, motioning to the two doors here and say “Alright. You will share a room with a partner, which I shall pick for you. Your rooms will either be on this floor, or on the three above it. Once you have a mentor, you shall be moved to a room closer to theirs. Such as those training under the stablemaster live in or near the stables, yet take their meals here.” 

 

I see them nod at me as I look them over and smile to myself.  _ Now let's change some shit.  _ I point at the first door and say “Altair and Malik, you two will stay here.” I point at the door next to theres and say “Abbas and Tamir, you two will stay here.” The boys nod and stand in front of their rooms as I divide up the rest of them. 

 

“Go look at your rooms and choose which bed you want. Return here in 5 minutes.” I say as I wave them off. They all immediately dart into their rooms, talking excitedly to their new roommate. The rooms are set up much like college dorms, with two beds on either side of the decent sized room. There was also a chest at the foot of each bed and a large desk between the two beds. 

 

The desk was directly under the room's window, which let in light that fell upon the rooms plush rug. Two lanterns hung in the room, unlit due to the time of day. The rooms window faced east, making it so that the boys would wake with the dawn light. Altair takes the bed to the right, Malik quickly taking the bed to the left. 

 

The next few minutes passed in a buzz of activity as I see and hear the boys take in their new rooms before gathering in front of me once more. I than lead them throughout the castle, showing them the different areas that they would be visiting in the future. By the end of our tour it was time for us to return to the Hall and eat. 

 

I glance at the boys behind me and see that they're all dead on there feet, looking beyond exhausted as they trudged behind me. I lead them all to the Hall and take our seats at the same rug we were at before, and I watch as some of them are barely talking as they try to stay awake. Even Altair looks tired as we eat our meal. 

 

I nod at the women serving us and they accept my compliments on the food, smiling gently at the boys seated around me before moving off to the others around the room. I eat quickly, seeing that I needed to get them to bed soon. It took a few moments to get them all on there feet again so I could get them back to their rooms. 

 

I openly smile as they all trudge to their rooms, yet I see Malik and Altair look perplexed at their beds when they see a pile of fabric upon them. Altair exits his room and asks “Sir? What’s on our beds?” I look down at him and say “Sleep clothes. Tomorrow you shall all go with me and have another training outfit made.” He nods at me and returns to his room, closing the door softly behind him. 

 

As I walk down the stairs to the entrance of the tower I see a guard stand near the door and nod at him as I pass. He was placed there to listen out for them, and help them if need be. I make my way over to The Master’s study, which was in the upper level of the library. 

 

I walk up the stairs, nodding at the guards as I find him sitting at his desk, studying a scroll that was rolled out across his desk. He looks up at me as I approach, motioning to the place in front of his desk. I stand where he motioned before he asks “What do you think of them?” I raise an eyebrow at him as I sigh. 

 

Since I had entered the brotherhood he had valued my opinion of people, going to almost any length to know what I thought of them. Yet I could expect it in this instance, since I am there first teacher. “They are all very well suited for this life. They are young and able, yet do not have the narrow mindedness or stubbornness an older child would have developed.” I say, watching as he nods. 

 

“They need to be strong. We are in need of more Assassin’s.” He states simply before waving me off, with a small goodbye. I shrug before walking off, not bothering to reply as I step down the stairs. I exit the castle, walking down the the mountain toward the stables as I take in the night air, feeling the chill of the night calming. 

 

Before long I had entered the stables, and had found Kadeer by Alexander’s stable. He looks up at me and says “There you are. That boy… He is rather talented isn’t he?” I nod at him and say “Yes, it seems his father trained him well.” He chuckles before saying “That he has… Call it my gut, but I have a feeling that he is going to be great one day.” I nod at him and say “That I must agree with my friend.”

 

He then stretches, letting out a yawn before saying “I better get myself to bed, as I have to get up before dawn tomorrow.” I nod in confirmation as I let out a small yawn myself. He grabs my shoulder before saying “Good night my friend. May your mind be free of dreams tonight.” I grab his shoulder and say “And yours as well my friend.” Before we go our separate ways. 

 

The walk back to my room felt way longer than it really was, and despite how tired I was I took the time to wash off the filth that had accumulated over the day before changing and climbing into bed. I glanced out the window, seeing the moon shining serenely in the sky as I darken my lanterns. 

 

My room was set up much like my students, except instead of two beds my room had one queen sized bed which was against the right wall. My desk was under the window as well, yet I had two bookshelves against the left wall, with a large table between the two. The shelves were full of books while the table had my armor laying upon it. 

 

Hanging on the wall above the table was a weapons rack, which had all of my weapons hanging neatly upon it. However some of my weapons were still laying upon my table, and my hidden blade stayed upon my arm, and was the only item from the future that I had kept. I had received a second hidden blade from Al Mualem when I had become a teacher here, making it so I had one on each arm. I stretched out across my bed, letting out a tired yawn as I slowly close my eyes, finally letting myself fall asleep after such a tiring day.

 

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Altair’s POV**

 

I pull off my robe, laying it on the bed in front of me before I pull on the thinner robe on the bed. It was made of a thin cotton that seemed far cooler than the heavy robe I had on before. I take my training robe and place it on top of my chest, arranging my boots and belts along with it. I turn and see Malik doing the same. 

 

When I’m done I climb into my bed, sitting on top of the covers as I do so. I look over at Malik and ask “So… What do you think of him?” Malik looks up toward the window and says “He seems for more… expectant? Than father was… Father seemed to want me to do well. He seems to know I can and expects such.” 

 

I nod along with his words, looking down at my hands. “What do you think of him?” Malik asks, causing me to look up. “He’s so… Different. My father told me that he’s a Master Assassin, and has been since he joined the brotherhood 8 years ago. Did you see the way he lept off that tower? Almost like he was flying… And after he landed he walked over to us like it was the most normal thing he could ever do…” I couldn’t even try and hide the wonder in my voice as I spoke.

 

Malik nods at me before letting out a small yawn, one that is echoed by me as my bed seems to grow more comfortable by the second. “Let's get some sleep… I have a feeling that he was going easy on us today…” Malik says, climbing under the covers on his bed. I nod at him and move, blowing out the lantern above my bed before climbing under the covers, sleep finding me quickly.

 

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Desmond POV**

 

I open my eyes, finding my room bathed in predawn light. I climb out of bed, finding that task far harder than it sounds. Once I'm standing I yank off my robe, feeling the barest hint of a chill as the air hits my skin. I stand in my pants before going through my stretches, which I learned from both Altair and Connor. Yet even now I feel my muscles burn and stretch as I go through some of the moves. When I'm done I wash of the small amount of sweat that had accumulated before pulling on my clothes. 

 

By the time I had fully secured my armor and had ensured that all of my weapons were in there proper place and easily reachable, the sun had just barely peaked over the horizon. I quickly exit my room, making my way down the flight of stairs between me and the top floor of the castle before making my way over to my students. 

 

I stop at the staircase leading up to their tower and turn to the guard. “Go get three more guards and go wake them up. Have them meet me at the gate.” I say quickly, smiling to myself before walking away, hearing the guard scramble to follow my order. I continue down the castle, walking out to the training area and stopping at the gate, moving to lean against the wall as I watch the doors for them. 

 

After a few minutes I see them, moving as a group as they run over to me, coming to a stop in front of me. Their all panting, looking slightly ruffled as they crowd around me. I stand up fully, looking over each of them before saying “From now on you will wake up at dawn, and make your way down here, where you will meet me. From here we will go on the same run we went on yesterday, before returning here. Do you understand?” 

 

Everyone there nods, replying with a firm ‘Yes Sir.’ Before I turn and begin walking toward the small cliff I showed them yesterday before saying “For the first week a guard will come and wake you, after that you're on your own. If you are late, or if I have to wake you, the result will not be pretty. Am I understood?” Once more they repeat their statement before I turn. 

 

“You will have to jump down this every morning, so be ready for that.” I say as I final statement before jumping down the small cliff, copying the movement with the others before rolling to my feet at the bottom. I see them all quickly follow me, as soon as the last of them land on the ground I turn and run, not even waiting for them as I dart ahead, hearing them following me from a distance. 

 

As soon as I’m out of there sights I climb on top of the nearest building, waiting there until I see them, which isn’t long as they all run by me. I easily take to the rooftops, running from one building to the other as I follow them. Once though they stop, not sure where they were supposed to go before Malik steps forward and runs down the correct path. They run all the way down to the gate, stopping for a moment as they look around for me. 

 

I jump off of the roof I’m on, landing in a tight roll next to them, startling quite a few of them. I roll to me feet, watching all of them for a moment before saying “Nicely done. It seems that one of you remembered the way I showed you yesterday.” Malik looks down at his feet at my words as he gains a few glares from his peers. 

 

Abbas moves slightly and, sounding slightly out of breath, asks “Were you watching us?” I nod at him and reply “I was following you all. It wasn’t very hard, since you don’t quite know what to look for yet.” Abbas nods as Altair looks around us, seeming to be trying to figure out how I was following them. 

 

“Back up you go.” I say, motioning to the top of the mountain as I hear a few of them groan. I shake my head and start running, slowing down enough for them to run with me. Meaning I was jogging while they were sprinting. By the time we had returned to the top of the mountain all of them were panting, leaning against the wall of the gate or clutching at stitches in there sides. 

 

“Come on, you need to stretch. It will help some of the pain go away.” I say kindly to them, knowing from experience how much their legs hurt. I get a few tired nods as some seem to try and make it look like they're not in pain, Altair among them. I lead all of them to the space beside the training ring, and sit down on the ground. 

 

They follow my example, forming a haphazard semi-circle around me. I then spend the next half hour teaching them the stretches they would need to be able to run like that everyday. Along with the beginning stretches for the flexibility they will need. Once they know all of this I say “Come along. We still have things to do before we can eat.” 

 

I get more than a few ‘are you serious?’ looks at my words. Something I ignore as I lead them back into the castle, walking toward a very specific room. I knock on the large door, which looked no different than any of the other doors in the castle, yet contained the people I needed. I had barely knocked on the door before it had been yanked open to reveal our resident head seamstress. 

 

She was a young looking woman with black hair that she kept tied back and a pretty face that was almost always shining with a smile. She nods at me before looking down at the boys around me, letting out a small laugh before nodding, accepting my unasked request. She walks into the room, which was rather large and filled with large bolts of fabric, along with 7 of her helpers. 

 

“This is Nevaeh Rochelle, she's the head seamstress here. You can thank her for the robes you're wearing. As she’s responsible for all of the robes made within these walls.” I say, looking back at my students before entering the room. Within an instant the other women in the room had converged upon us, the boys instantly huddling together out of surprise. 

 

I walk further into the room, letting the seamstresses do their thing while I lean against a window. I chuckle softly at the blushes almost every boy has, the women around the room working without a care as Nevaeh walks over to me. She glances over my robes and says “I’m pleased to see that there holding up this time.” 

 

I nod with a soft laugh and say “I am as well. The brotherhood could not ask for a better seamstress.” I nod at her, watching her smile before she softly walks off, watching over some of the younger seamstresses as they measure the boys. As they finish Nevaeh nods at me and says “They will be ready by tomorrow morning. I’ll have them delivered to the boys rooms.” 

 

I nod at her once more before saying “Come along, we have one more stop to make.” I hear a few soft groans from behind me and turn, giving my new students a piercing glare, which silenced them instantly. I quickly lead them out of the castle, exiting the gate and walking down to our forge, which is already ringing with the sound of pounding hammers and working apprentices. 

 

My students instantly stepping closer to me, reminding me of a mother duck and her ducklings. The Smith master exits the forge, looking down at all of us. He stands at 6’5 and a half, he’s almost twice as broad as I am, and all the work in the forge has made him look like he could crush your skull with his bare hands. 

 

I nod up at him and say “Everyone, this is Axel Zedtroveltski. He’s our forge master, as well as weapons master.” I hear one of my students ask “His last name is Zedtroveltski?” Axel let's out a deep booming laugh and says “You pronounced it slightly wrong. Say it like  Zeh-tro-vel-skii.” I nod at him as he looks back at me and asks “So Desmond, what brings you to me at this hour?” 

 

“I need 16 weighted training swords. Also, I need another set of throwing knives.” I say, watching as the smith nods before marching back into his forge, which I hear some crashing and shouts before he returns and says “Alright. I should have their swords properly weighted, as well as your knives by lunch. Return here afterwards.” 

 

I nod at him and say “Alright. Thank you brother.” He nods at me before I turn to my students and say “Now, we can go eat.” I see quite a few of them grin as I lead them back to the castle. It didn’t take us long to walk to the Hall, finding it to be rather full, as most of the brotherhood had just woken up. 

 

Luckily, the same rug was open for us, and I quietly led my students over to it. We had barely sat down before we were served, finding everything to be as delicious as it always is. I slowly drink a cup of tea, listening as my students talk softly amongst themselves. Abbas is entertaining the three boys around him with stories of his father. 

 

Malik is talking to a soft spoken boy about the books his father showed him before he came here. Altair, seems to be watching me and listening in on Malik's conversation. I look at him, raising an eyebrow in question as he hurriedly drops his gaze to the cup in his hands. I manage not to chuckle at him, knowing how bad his curiosity must be. I instead sip on the tea in my hands before looking over at Aslam. 

 

I call him over with a small nod, making him softly approach us. He takes his spot beside me and says “Our cook requests a few novices help them with some work in the kitchen, since apparently someone left the door open last night and a few rats got in.” I nod at him, noticing that once more our entire rug went silent. “We can go help after breakfast. I also have to get them started on their studies as well, but we can start that afterwards.” 

 

He nods with a shudder, looking over at the others and saying “I swear, he reads faster than anyone else! It's almost scary!” Grinning at me. I huff playfully and say “Perhaps I should assign you to help them with their beginning instruction. I do believe you tried to sleep through my first lecture.” Smiling behind my mask. The kids around us laugh lightly as Aslam rubs his head and says “Yeah. You hit me with a book that you threw from across the room.” 

 

I nod and say “My time is precious, as is yours. You should not waste mine by sleeping while I teach.” He groaned and said “Okay okay you win.” I humph and say “Of course I do. I haven't lost once to anyone since I arrived.” I see the children around me stare in awe and Aslam nods and says “Yeah. At  _ anything.  _ You even beat the Master at chess.” I nod approvingly and say “He puts too much faith in his queen.” 

 

A lovely young lady walks over and hands Aslam and I a cup of tea. Holding her tray against her stomach and asking “Sir? Evangeline Robinson asked if you would assist in the kitchens. She also asked if the novices would help as well. We have much to move.” She seems unbelievably shy of me, yet I see Aslam giving her a warm smile. “Of course Isabella. We’d be happy to help!” He says, to which she smiles and bows before leaving. 

 

As she leaves I take a sip of my tea. “If I didn't know better, I would think that perhaps you like the lovely Isabella.” I hear him choke beside me as I drink my tea, hacking and coughing into his sleeve as my Novices all snicker. He goes red and says “I do not. She's just nice is all…” I nod and say “She's also the lovely lady who serves that rug the you sit at daily. She's  _ also  _ the only lady I've seen you smile like that since-” 

 

I’m cut off by him saying “Okay okay! I was sixteen! She was pretty! You don't have to bring it up again!” I chuckle as he goes red, his hood hiding part of it. I finish off my tea and say “Let's go. We have to help them now since Aslam decided to say Yes.” The kids grin and scramble up, I yank up my mask as they watch us closely. 

 

“Sir?” Altair suddenly asks, watching as I stand. I raise an eyebrow and ask “Yes Altair?” He looks down a second before asking “How… How does one become an assassin?” I blink at him before taking a breath. “Assassins are our best and brightest. They are adept at reading, writing, planning, teamwork, leadership, and swordsmanship. You will be watched by many mentors over the next few weeks, and you will be chosen for apprenticeships after that.” 

 

Abbas glares and angrily asks “We don't get to choose?” I glare down at him, seeing him pale as I say “I suggest you never get that tone with me again, and let me finish. At the  _ end  _ of your training with me you shall be called into the master’s study one by one. He shall have with him every Mentor who wishes to offer you an apprenticeship. You may choose who you accept, and who you decline.” 

 

Abbas nods slowly, backing up a step, looking slightly ashamed of himself for his outburst. Altair looks at me and asks “What about you though? Do you have any missions while training us? How long does training last?” I almost smile at his curiosity while my brothers filter out of the Hall and Aslam stands slightly behind me. 

 

“I usually don't have any missions. But I may be forced to accept a mission if it is extremely important. And your first training can take anywhere from three months to six months. The longest I’ve ever had to train anyone was seven months, but that was because he broke his arm.” I say, looking back to Altair. 

 

Malik then asks “Who do you mentor?” Aslam steps in and says “Desmond rarely mentors anyone, he’s only mentored three people in his eight years here. But all of them have become some of our best assassins, achieving the highest mastery possible. I’m not quite there yet, but I should be soon.” 

 

Altair’s stare was almost burning holes in my face as Aslam continued with “He’s the best teacher that’s ever graced our halls, and the best Assassin to date.” I ruffle his hair through his hood, knowing that I got his attention and say “Alright, I think they know enough about me. You can all talk later at lunch, I’ll let you sit with them while I set things up. For now, let's help our head cook.” 

 

I see the novices quickly hold their tongues as I lead them out of the hall and into the kitchens. Evangeline, our head chef looks up as I walk in. The novices file in behind me, crowding around behind me. The kitchens are a large area, ovens and steel stoves are everywhere, large tables where they prepared food were in the center of the room. 

 

Herbs and spices hung from the ceiling, baskets and other containers were everywhere. I saw that the room was filled with girls, anywhere from eight to thirty.  _ Stupid Gender Roles.  _ I smiled at our black haired cook and sweep into an exaggerated bow, straightening back up and saying “My Novices and I are at your disposal my Lady.” 

 

She gives me a happy smile and says “Thank you Desmond, I need the help. Will you and the Novices help my girls move the baskets into the Hall? Once that’s done we can clean and get rid of the vermine, but some of it’s to heavy to move.” I nod and say “Of course. Anything to help.” She gives me a knowing smile and walks over to a table, helping another girl prepare something. 

 

I motion to the smaller baskets and say “Carry them if you can. If you need help,  _ ask for it.  _ Don’t hurt yourself doing something stupid. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Stick toward the smaller ones. Don't pick up a larger one without help.” I stop one of the smaller Novices, who looks like they’d weigh nothing soaking wet. 

 

“Help guide them through the door and to the hall, make sure the doors stay open.” I say to him, seeing him nod in appreciation before scampering off. Aslam grabs a large basket instantly and walks off, making a show for Isabella, who seems to smile at him as he passes. I step over to the larger baskets, which are beautifully woven and is about waist high. I test the weight within, finding it oddly lightweight.  _ I’ll grab two of these.  _ I hoist two of the larger baskets up onto my shoulders, knowing that my strength comes from training daily. 

 

I see a few of my novices stare in shock as I walk by them, ducking enough to get the baskets out the door way. I see my smaller Novice step around me as I walk, hearing my Novices scamper behind me. I step into the Hall, finding Aslam setting his basket down as I walk in with two. He sees me and his jaw drops down in shock. 

 

The others walk in as I set mine down as Aslam says “Always have to show off don't you.” I shrug and say “Isabella seemed more focused on you, so I had no trouble walking by with more.” I turn as Aslam breaks into a giant grin and rushed back to the kitchen. The next two hours are spent getting everything together for them, moving it, helping clean, and moving everything back. 

 

As I set the last basket down I saw everyone around me panting or rubbing their arms from the strain. I was barely winded from all that and simply stretch my arm across my body. “I think that’s it. Thank you Desmond.” I nod and say “Come along now. We have more to do.” I get a few soft groans of tiredness as I walk them over to the Library, Aslam nodding to me before leaving my group. 

 

I walk them into the Library, walking up to the head scholar and saying “Hello Jeremy, these are the students I'll be teaching the basics to today.” He nods and says “I already set up a the book you requested, as well as the materials you asked for.” And leads us to a quiet portion of the library. I motion to the tables and they all quickly sit down. Altair, Malik, and Abbas all moved to the table in front of mine. The three of them adjusting so that Malik was in the middle as a mediator. 

 

On my table lay a steel assassin sword, a steel guard sword, a steel apprentice sword, and a wooden, weighted training sword. The book is asked for was a simple book over the Assassins works. I was glad that I wore all of my armor and swords everyday, it showed how much they had to learn, and how far I had come. 

 

I picked up the smaller training sword. “You'll get one of these later today.” I say showing it to all of them. It's smaller than all of the other blades, but still weighs a good bit. It's designed to teach them the basics of swordplay, and help their muscles develop. 

 

I glare at them and say “You will never use these against each other, unless I allow it.” I see them nod as I pick up the next blade, the apprentice one. It was made of steel, but was still smaller and a little heavier than the Assassin blade. I show it to them all. “If you choose to enter an area of the castle that requires defense, than you will gain one of these once your master deems you ready.” 

 

I see there eyes light up at the plain steel blade, which is still too large for them to fight with. I move onto the guards blade, and hold it up for all of them. The blade was simple, but had a small silver shield on the crossguard, barely an inch high. I step closer and show it to all of them, walking among them as I say “Should you choose to be a guard, than you would get one of these blades when you complete your training.”

 

I see a few eyes light up as I speak. I almost smile as I walk back to the table, picking up the Assassin blade. It's lighter than the guards blade, thinner too. Designed more for speed and offence, than defence like the guards blades. I hold it up to them, motioning once more to the crossguard. 

 

“An Assassin’s blade bares the mark of the Creed upon the crossguard, and are only given once you become an Assassin. As you can see, they are thinner than the guards swords, and the reason is simple.” I say, giving the sword a small controlled flourish. “It's designed to kill, and kill quickly. An assassin relies on their speed and cunning, as much as their strength and instincts.” 

 

I see them all stare at the blade in awe, Altair seems to be the most entranced. I set the blade back down and unsheathe my own Master Assassin blade. I see a few of them gasp as I hold up the beautiful blade. My sword was one of the things I kept in perfect condition, and now it shone brightly under the torch light of the library. 

 

I show it to them and say “This is a Master Assassin blade. There are only five of them in use at the moment. One of them belongs to our Master, I have one. Altair, your father bares the third, and Malik, yours bares the fourth blade. Abbas, your father bares the final blade. We take our blades with us to our graves.” 

 

I motion to the main part of the blade and say “Down the center of every Master Assassin blade, you will always find these words. ‘Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted’. What do you think this means?” They all think a moment, none of them answering as I say “Think over it today. Give me an answer tomorrow.” 

 

I place my blade back in it's sheathe and turn to my book, picking it up off the table. “Within the Creed at the moment, there are three Assassin’s willing to take on apprentices, including myself. Ten scholars willing to teach new scholars for our libraries. Six couriers, and eight guards are willing to take on apprentices as well. The stables and forges are willing to take two each.” I say, looking over all of them. 

 

“Forge work is very physically grueling. Our master forger isn't that strong because he’s working out, he’s that strong because he’s dealing with molten metal and giant hammers.” I say, noting how they watch me. “The stables is another place that requires a lot of physical poweress. You’ll have to wrangle and occasionally subdue horses. Not a easy thing to do.” I say as I lean against the table. 

 

“Guards also keep themselves physically fit, but allow a little more relaxation amongst their numbers. However, they require both physical and mental strengths. They know this castle as well as the back of there hands, and the village as well.” I say as I scan the boys in front of me, who all stare at me with rapt attention. 

 

“Scholars and Couriers work closely together, however Couriers have a more physical demand than scholars, yet both are very intellectually based.” I say as I motion toward a scholar and Courier talking nearby. You could only differentiate by the markings on their sleeves, as the Courier had black stitching around the hem. 

 

“The Assassin apprenticeships are very hard to attain. We require the best of the best. You must be strong, smart, fast, level headed, an expert swordsman, be accurate with the throwing knives that you'll be taught later, an expert climber, excellent at freerunning, and a leader. We will accept nothing less. You must show at least a talent, or at least a certain level of skill for you to be even looked at for an apprenticeship with an Assassin.” As I speak I see a few kids pale. 

 

Altair seems intrigued though, as does Abbas and Malik. I than spend the next few hours lecturing on the specificities of each job here at Masyaf. When the midday mark finally approached us I guided my Novices back to the Hall. Aslam sat at our rug, grinning and motioning to the space around him. 

 

“Join me my friends!” He says as we sit. I chuckle and say “I shall be leaving them with you for a few minutes before the end of lunch. I must set things up for them. You can lead them there not long after.” He nods and says “Perfect! It’ll give me time to tell them about you, oh great lord of mystery.” 

 

I shake my head at him as he launches into a tale of his time with me. A little more theatric than it really was, but still close to the truth. When lunch is mostly over I bid them goodbye before walking off to the forges, and collecting my knives and their swords. Axel was more than happy to supply me with two of his apprentices to move them. 

 

They also helped me set it to the side of the sparring ring. The training ring was mostly empty at this time, most people preferring to head indoors to work. Aslam lead them out a few moments after the apprentices returned to Axel. He grins again as I watch all of my students stare at me in awe. 

 

_ God dammit.  _ I say to myself as I glare at him while he says “What! It was just the recounting of how you took down five templars on your own!” I sigh and say “Only that one?” He looks a little sheepish and says “Well no… But still!” I shake my head and say “Everyone, pick up a training sword and sheathe. Belt it on like this.” 

 

I show them how, Aslam and I walking through and helping everyone. Once that was done I walked them through basic defensive and offensive moves, which took up the majority of the day. Once they had gotten those moves down I moved on, and now, just as the sun was falling I turned to them. 

 

“Come along.” I say, motioning them toward the cliff again. “Run the route again, then we’ll get you all cleaned up and get to dinner.” They all quietly moan or groan but start down the cliffs. I run ahead of them, Aslam running behind them. They were all panting and gasping by the time we got back to the top. 

 

I nod at them and say “Come along. Let's get you all cleaned up.” I lead them to their rooms and say “In your trunks are a towel and lighter sleeping clothes. Go grab them then come back here, I’ll lead you to the baths.” They nod and do as I tell them to, returning here quickly. I lead them down to the baths, which are easily gotten to. 

 

“Try and come here either before dinner or after. I won't have any of you filthy. If you notice any holes or tears in your robe, take it to the seamstresses. They’ll repair them for you. Take care of your equipment, it’ll save your life someday.” I say as they walk in. Altair stops before entering and asks “Will you go in with us?” 

 

I shake my head and say “No. I’ll clean up after dinner, once all of you are in bed.” He nods before walking within and I shut the door. Aslam nods at me and says “You can go wait for them in the Hall. I’ll lead them to you.” I nod at him before leaving, sighing happily. Today went well, and If I keep them on track, than I should be able to have quite a few new additions to the creed. 

 

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**Altair POV**

 

I groaned softly as I cleaned myself off. My entire body was sore, even in in places I wasn't even aware could be sore. I ached everywhere and as I pulled on my outfit I almost winced. Yet as I moved my mind was elsewhere.  _ I have to get that apprenticeship. After everything that Aslam said about him… I  _ have  _ to have it. I will become his apprentice, and become a master Assassin.  _

 

Malik walks over to my side and asks “Dreaming of the Assassin apprenticeship, aren't you Altair?” I gape at him and ask “What? Well…” I go to say more but Abbas says “Like hell you’d get it Altair, especially not with Desmond. You heard him, they only accept the best, and you're far from that.” 

 

I glare over at him and say “I also remember Aslam saying that Desmond doesn't take well to being lied to.” Abbas goes a little red at that while Tamir says “In truth, you three have an unfair advantage over the rest of us… Since your fathers are all Master Assassins. You all know more than we do.” 

 

Malik shakes his head and says “I don't. My father placed his faith in the Creed and said I’d learn as I progressed. Altair?” I nod and say “My father said I would learn better by listening to my Mentor, than being given an edge over my peers.” Abbas nods and says “My father knew I wouldn’t need any help to beat you, so he said I’d learn here.” 

 

I nod at him before placing my sword on my uniform and walking out of the baths. Aslam stands there, Desmond nowhere to be seen. He looks us over and says “Keep your sword with your uniform, and we can run and place it in your rooms. Than we can get to dinner.” I nod as the others exit. 

 

Malik suddenly asks as we walk “Aslam? Would Desmond think of mentoring any of us?” I perk up at his question as Aslam turns around with a shocked look. “Well. Maybe he might. Desmond is really good at reading people, and probably already has a good grip on where you'll go after his training. But if he is thinking of training any of you, you won't know it till selection day.” 

 

I tilt my head to the side and ask “Selection day?” He nods and says “The nickname we use for the day you Select your apprenticeship.” I nod as we walk into the door area of our castle. I quickly place my clothes down as the thought comes back again.  _ I  _ will  _ become a Master Assassin. And Desmond has to be my mentor. _

 

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	2. Not All Things Can Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwww thank you for all the reviews! They mean a lot. Now, off we go with more Altair this time.

 

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**Altair POV - 3 Weeks Later**

 

I almost sobbed as I pulled myself up the building. Desmond had started us climbing two weeks ago, and he'd trained us like he did everything else. By throwing us in head first and expecting the best of us. My muscles strained as I pulled myself up the final beam, climbing onto the top of the roof. Desmond stood at the top, nodding as I stood before him, the first to reach the top. 

 

Malik was on my heels, whimpering as he pulled himself onto the roof. He nods at him as well as the others climb onto the roof, all of us waiting for his words. This was a three story building, the highest we'd climbed. Desmond had climbed it like it was nothing, reaching the top in seconds. It felt like it took forever for us, muscles straining and a screaming in pain from the effort of pulling your entire body up. 

 

Desmond nodded at us again and moved to glance down the side, unafraid of falling. He hums softly and says “I think you're all ready for the next part of training.” I grin at him, happy to learn something new. He’d been hammering words into our heads and skills into our bodies constantly for the last three weeks, the prospect of doing something new was amazing. 

 

He walks over to his left and says “Follow me.” He quickly climbs up the nearby wall and keeps walking. We rush after him, climbing as fast as we can. The sword and robes we wear were weighty and thick, but they kept us from getting splinters elsewhere. As we got to the top of the building Desmond stood at the other end, looking across the beams between two houses. 

 

He glances back and waits till all of us are up here. Once we are, he turns and steps on the beam, walking to it's mid point. He didn't even sway, standing straight and proud, turning around and looking at us. “If any of you wish to be an Assassin, you will have to master the ability to beam walk. And for the next stage of training, you will have to be at least capable in this art.” 

 

He takes a few steps towards us and says “Balance is a learned skill. Anyone can be good at it with enough patience and work. Now. Whose first?” I blink at him, glancing at the thin beam he stands on. No one says anything at first. Abbas won't look at Desmond, Malik seems to be thinking something over, and the others won't even make eye contact.  _ We look for leaders.  _ His words ring in my head as I take a step forward and say “I can…” 

 

I thank whatever creature blessed my voice so that it didn't shake like it normally did whenever I was nervous. I step forward and he motions to the beam to his left, directly parallel to his. I gulp, setting my foot on it. It's barely as wide as my foot, and I'm a little big for an eight year old. I glance at Desmond's, and see that he's perfectly balanced, even though there's barely enough to balance on. I step forward, balancing precariously on the beam. 

 

I'm thankful that we don't have any wind today as I step further onto the beam. “Altair. All you have to do is get to the other side.” Desmond says gently, watching me carefully. I nod slowly, shaking slightly out of fear of falling. I know if I fall from this height I may not walk away from it, and Desmond seems to notice. He adjusts his stance to a crouched one, moving his center of gravity and saying “Copy me.” 

 

I do so, being careful not to fall. I find it remarkably easy to move now that I'm crouching and grin over at Desmond. He nods with approval as I easily make my way over to the other side. Once there I stand and grin at Malik and say “It's easy! Just crouch and move!” He nods at me and approaches, the beam. Desmond shows him how to crouch on the beam and he makes it over just like I did. 

 

The others make it across too, save for one of the larger boys who almost fell. Desmond realized it before any of us saw it coming and  _ jumped  _ from one beam to the other, steadying him and helping him across. I was in awe of how he'd jumped, spanning the five foot space in one jump. He didn't even get a running start, or waver when he landed. He stood on the beam as he looked back at us. He jumped back to his other beam, looking at us and saying “Go across again. Now we're going for speed.” 

 

He turns and runs down the beam, balance perfect as he gets to the other side. “The faster you go, the easier it is for you to fall. The slower you go, the easier it is to get caught. Find the balance between the two.” The rest of our day was spent like this, running back and forth across the beams. By the time dinner rolled around, and there was barely enough light to see by, my legs burned just as much as the rest of me. 

 

Everything aches, either from overuse or from using a muscle for the first time. I wasn't the only one who limped back to the castle. Once back within the castle walls he said “Stretch, than go wash up. Join me for dinner when you're done.” He walked within the castle as I saw Aslam stretching in the courtyard. He'd been sent to Jerusalem a few days ago, and was finally back. 

 

I walked over toward him and he grins at us, as the other followed me. He noticed my limp and said “Learn to beam walking today?” I nod slowly as he says “Stretch than go jump in the hot pools of the baths. The heat will help. Desmond will help you after that.” I than shakily go through the stretches, finding it both painful and easier to go through today than when I first got here. 

 

Once done I go grab my clothes and walk to the baths, talking with Malik. “Did you see how he jumped? Like it was nothing…” I say as we walk, only to almost smash into someone. “Altair? You look tired.” My father says as he looks at me. I grin up at him and launch myself into a hug, one he returns. “Hello father. I'm fine actually.” He nods and says “I know. Desmond has been telling me of your progress. You are in fact doing very well, keep it up, and you'll be an amazing Assassin.” 

 

I can't keep a grin from my face as I see Malik's father, as well as Abbas's. Malik's claps my father's shoulder and says “You don't get to hog all the parental pride my friend! My boy is doing just as well as yours. And three Assassins are taking apprenticeships. But only one gets the prize.” I don't know what he speaks of but Abbas’s father tosses an arm over both of their shoulders and says “We have work to do my friends. And we all know my son will win it.” 

 

My father ruffles my hair affectionately before he and the others bid us goodbye, Malik’s father hugging him tightly. We rush to the baths, not wanting to be late to dinner but my head was buzzing with the words my father spoke.  _ You’ll be an amazing Assassin.  _ I found myself grinning as I yanked my clothes on. 

 

“What do you think they meant by ‘the prize’?” Malik asks as we exit the baths. I shrugged as we walked out the door. The baths were a large set of pools where everyone got cleaned up, and were located in giant underground pools. The water was different temperatures depending on where you went. There were even hot caves that made the water steam. 

 

They had some pools that were so hot they could burn you, at least they burned Malik and I, but I’d seen Aslam happily lounging in the water like it was nothing. It had been a few days after we started training that Desmond had shown us what he called the salt pools. They were hotter than I liked, but the salt helped relieve some of the muscle cramps.

 

We rushed to place our dirty clothes in our room before running to dinner. Our sleeping clothes didn't have a hood on them, but during dinner was one of the few times that people removed their hoods. Desmond wasn't one of them, and we  _ still  _ hadn't seen his face. We stepped into the Hall, finding Desmond sitting on the rug with some of our group around him. 

 

Everyone had taken to calling us Novices, and now we recieved a few nods as we moved over to Desmond. I took the place a little to his right, leaving enough space between us for someone else. Desmond already had food, so I could easily serve myself. He only pulled his mask down to eat, and even than it was barely, and he angled his head to keep his face shadowed. 

 

I was plagued by curiosity, wanting to ask what he looked like, but knew that was impolite. And my father would tan my hide for such an act, something I really didn't want. So I kept my curiosity to myself as a serving girl my age stepped over to the rug, setting down a tray of cheese stuffed peppers. 

 

Desmond thanked her kindly, to which she bowed deeply and replied before walking back to the kitchens. Dinner passed without sight of my father nor Malik’s or Abbas’s, not even Aslam was here until the end. When he was he quickly rushed into the Hall, not even startling those around us as he knelt beside Desmond and whispered something to him. 

 

Desmond nodded hurriedly and placed his plate down, saying “Aslam stay with them and get them to their rooms. I don't want them wandering the castle.” Aslam nods, face almost scarily serious as he sits. The happily playful grin I was used to seeing on him had vanished. He looked worried about something, but he sat with us while we ate and lead us to our rooms. 

 

The weirdest thing was he didn't answer a single question we had. Normally we had an hour to talk to each other, play games, go to the library, or walk the castle. Desmond had said to not let us do that, which made me even more worried. Aslam looked at us before we went to our rooms and said “I don't know what’s going on. Just that whatever it is required Desmond to go to the Master that second.” 

 

I nod and start fiddling with the hem of my robe, which was perfect as always. Aslam continues with “Try and sleep. And stay in your rooms, I should know something by morning.” He ushers us into our rooms as Malik says “I'm worried for them all Altair… Why would the master call together  _ all  _ the Master Assassin’s?” 

 

I shrug with a small gulp as I climb into my bed and say “Whatever it may be, I’m sure that they’ll be fine.” I sound confident and strong with my words, when I was really beyond terrified. Why would anyone need that many Masters in one spot? Whatever the reason, I had a feeling that it was unbelievably bad…

 

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**Desmond POV (Thank you Assassin’s creed Wiki. Also as you can see, Altair has a far better relationship with his father than he did in the games.)**

 

I ran as fast as I could to Al Mualim ‘s study, finding not only Altair’s father Umar, but Abbas’s father Ahmad and Malik’s father Faheem. Umar gives me a grin and says “Desmond. Nice of you to join us.” I nod at him and look to Al Mualim, who nods and says “Four lives must end. And you four shall be the blades to do it.” 

 

His gaze sweeps over us and he says “Ahmad, you shall go to Damascus, those there shall explain your purpose. Faheem, you shall go to Acre, this note will explain your purpose. Desmond and Umar, the two of you shall go to Jerusalem. The Guild there shall inform you. Go now, time is against us. They must not live long.” I nod at him, patting Umar’s shoulder and saying “Bet you I'll get there first.” 

 

Hearing his indignant sound as I vault over the railing and roll to the floor. With a perfect landing I hear Umar chase after me, the others on our heels as I dart from the castle, startling the guards. They cry out as the others run behind me, Faheem darting in front of me to run right down the path. Umar had taken to the roofs, Ahmad gracefully ran down the railings as I ran toward the hay bale I set up for these situations. 

 

I darted down the alley and jumped without a seconds hesitation, landing gently in the hay. I scrambled up and ran toward the gates, seeing Alexander standing there while a stable boy held his reins. I rushed forward, Alexander not even jumping at my sudden appearance as I swung into the saddle, the boy dancing back as I rushed from the castle, seeing Umar run up with the others on his heels. 

 

I laugh as I ride off, hearing them cry out in playful outrage. I slow down once we reach the fork, Faheem and Ahmad splitting off to Acre and Damascus. Umar and I talk much over the ride, mostly of his sons progress. Dawn was peaking over the horizon before we reached the city. I paid a stable boy to tend to our horses while we were in the city. 

 

Entering the city was fairly easy, just climbing from the ceiling braces to within the walls. Finding the guild was easy too, and entering undetected was as simple as breathing. As I landed within the guild a few apprentices let out startled sounds, jumping further into the air when Umar landed. The guild master was an elderly man, not long from retiring to Masyaf and relinquishing his position to a younger man. 

 

He easily told us of the men we were looking for. They were Identical Sacrean twins, nobles here on an invite from another noble family. However their true reason was to further the slave trade, making connections here. Al Mualim had ordered their deaths for the safety of the people here. “How ever, I need your help as well. We have been trying for months to kill a man named Hadar.” 

 

I nod as he pointed out a large building on a map. They hadn't been able to get to him because he had barricaded himself within the walls of an old military fort. Making it nearly impossible to get him. Umar grinned and said “We can get him. Three lives for your kindness my friend.” We now to him before exiting out into the city. It was actually surprisingly easy to find and kill the Twins. 

 

Which I found almost odd, since they were nobles, you would think they would be better guarded. Guess they just decided to tempt fate and leave them behind. They were dead before midday, they city was shocked for some time as we rushed back to the guild, hiding within until the city had calmed, nearly nightfall before we left to go to the fort. It was heavily guarded, guards marching back and forth constantly. 

 

In the end we got inside with a small scaffolding that was used to repair a small portion of the wall. Before we entered I paid a boy to keep a hay bale nearby, where we could easily jump to. Once within, the place was oddly empty and silent, every window darkened. “Brother… something is wrong here.” I say softly, fear prickling at my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I got the distinct feeling I was being watched. 

 

“Come my Brother. It is a simple task, in and out before anyone knows what's happening…” Umar encouraged, not seeming to feel what was setting of every single one of my survival instincts. My body was screaming to run from this place, run and not look back. I hadn't felt anything like this since I came upon that castle deep within the desert not long after I arrived. 

 

The place had been stricken with famine, yet refused to call for help, instead they ate the animals and plants from the surrounding area. However they weren't as forthcoming with why they were arresting people semi constantly, but I never saw a single jail cell filled. It took a day or two to realize what they were doing, and why the chef always had meat to cook with. 

 

I again tried to convince Umar to leave but he insisted, demanding that I go with him or he would go alone and I cave.  _ I won't let you go alone you ass.  _ And within the building was just as silent, not a single guard nor servant in the entire place. Yet as we walk through the main hall, working our way toward his room, the doors slam open, and Sacrean soldiers spill out. 

 

“You! Umar Ibn-Alahad have been charged with Assassination of the noble children of Sacrean. And you Desmond shall share his sentence with him! You shall come quietly, where you shall than be executed at dawn.” One of them shouts and I growl softly. “I FUCKING TOLD YOU THIS WAS A BAD IDEA.” I shout at Umar, startling the man nearest to me, who I easily kill and Umar and I slam back to back, planning to fight our way out of here. 

 

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**Altair POV**

 

Word of the mission Al Mualim sent all of the Master Assassins on spread like wildfire. Aslam had supervised our training while Desmond was away, and Aslam had expectations just as high as Desmond. We climbed higher than before, beam walked longer, had to read and write works as well. By the end of it I was exhausted and collapsed into bed without any reservations. I didn't even eat or change, Malik and I passing out instantly. 

 

The next morning we awoke earlier the usual, the sun not even breaking the horizon as I hear guards and others alike running around the castle. I jump up, Malik rushing toward the door as I yank my boots on. Abbas and his roommate rush out as well, watching us carefully as a guard runs by the entrance to the tower shouting “WAKE AL MUALIM. WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY. TWO OF OUR OWN HAVE BEEN GRAVELY INJURED.” 

 

I freeze and look at Malik and Abbas, who stood frozen in horror. I turn, grabbing Malik's arm and Abbas’s shoulder and saying “We  _ have  _ to find Aslam. Or we have to go to the infirmary.” As I speak the others come down from the stairs. The small boy who's always last on our runs says “Novices aren't allowed into the Infirmary… nor are they allowed into the Assassins rooms… but…” 

 

He thinks for a moment and says “There's a way to climb from the fifth hallway’s rightmost window, up into the infirmary… but it's risky. It's the part  _ over  _ the cliffs, and falls straight to the water. The waves would kill you, if the fall didn't.” I nod at him and say “Malik, Abbas and I can climb it. You can show it to us. Grab two of the others to come as well. I must know who’s hurt…” he nods and grabs two other boys before we're running toward the fifth hallway. 

 

We stayed quiet, easily slipping by guards with the castle in such disarray. Once at the window the boy stopped us and said “You  _ have  _ to be careful Altair. All of you do. One slip, and you're dead. Now. Climb out the window, and go slightly left. Than climb straight up two floors. Than climb further left,  _ around  _ part of the tower before climbing in the window. Be careful.” I nod, thinking over the path as his friend gives me a boost up to the window, letting me unlatch the beautiful glass. 

 

I'm hit with a blast of cool ocean air, and the sound of roaring waves. I shiver, my thin robe doing nothing to block the wind. As I hear a crash and sound of running from above us I hear him say “Now or never!” Before I move left and swing out to a small iron ring used to hang lanterns. I quickly found better hand holds and Malik was soon out the window. I climb upwards, the old stone providing many hand holds. 

 

Abbas was out soon and the window shut behind us. Malik says “No turning back huh?” I nod and climb up, trying my best to not look down. Once we get to the tower part a gulp and shiver. The stone here was newer, with less holes and crevices to grab onto. Malik somehow sensed my unease and grabbed my ankle gently, making me look down at him and say “We're right behind you. If that oaf can do it you can too.” He motions to Abbas. 

 

Abbas instantly let out an indignant sound and says “Feel so much appreciation coming from  _ You  _ Malik.” I grin at the both of them before moving along a thin lip around the tower, finding the window I need open. I slip inside, helping Malik and Abbas in. The three of us slipped quietly through the infirmary, moving toward the sounds. This hall was dark, mostly lit by moonlight.

 

I pulled them with me as we crouched inside an unused room and saw two men walk by, talking hurriedly. “He won't make it Ashima! He’s too far gone, to many wounds! It's amazing the other managed to bring him back!” The other man, who I’m now assuming are the Creeds doctors say “It does not matter! He’s a fighter, just like his son. He did not become a Master Assassin, just to roll over and die! He has a chance, and as such, we will not tell the boy. It is a small chance, but a chance nonetheless.” 

 

I stare at them as they walk on, falling out of earshot as I hear another crash, which is followed by someone shouting. The others look to me before we all run off toward the sound. This hall was bright, torches throwing light onto the walls. In the hall stood Desmond, his back to us, who looked a little worse for wear. 

 

He had a cut across his side and gash on his shoulder, along with a number of smaller wounds, blood staining his white robe. He however growled at anyone who can near him and said “Go help Umar. I’ll be fine, let me be. He needs all the help he can get.” He stood proud and tall, like he wasn't bleeding out onto the floor as I felt my legs weaken and my face pale as everything came together and I ask “My father's been hurt?”

 

Desmond turns, not even looking surprised as one of the Doctors says “Novices?  _ How dare- _ ” Desmond cuts him off by saying “Silence Aaron.” Voice soft but commanding as Desmond looks us over and says “Come this way, I’ll explain.” He walks proudly into the room to our left, the three of us on his heels. 

 

He motions toward the seats within and says “Sit. I shall explain.” Aslam follows us in with a small basket of supplies. He shoves it into Desmond's hands and says “If you won't let them help you, the at least patch up your side and shoulder on your own. I'll go check on the other novices and get them into bed.” He leaves than, shutting the door behind him and leaving us with a bleeding Desmond. 

 

Desmond grabs a thick bandage, pulling up his shirt enough to place it against the gash on his side. “Your father is currently here as well Altair, as you've heard. How, I don't know, but probably from all the panic within the castle.” He says, not even flinching as he looked the wound over again before tying the bandage there. He moves onto his shoulder and says “We were ambushed in Jerusalem after hunting town a pair of Sacrean twins.” 

 

I blink in shock, the thought of two masters walking into a trap seeming almost impossible. “Your father was injured as we fought our way out. I will be honest Altair… it's bad. They truly don't know if he'll make it through the night.” I shiver softly, hating how detached he sounds, almost like he just told me the weather. Part of me wanted to hit him as he finished patching up his shoulder. 

 

The door opens, a guard standing in the doorway and looks over us. “Al Mualim sends for the boy.” He says, motioning at me. I stiffen as Desmond looks at him and asks “To see his father?” The guard nods gravely, seeming far more solemn than I’d expect. I stand, nodding at him before he leads me out of the room. 

 

As the door shuts behind me, the warm light of the room replaced by the colder light of the hallway. The guard doesn't say another word, simply leading me toward the more populated areas of the Infirmary. He nods at another guard, who then steps away from a door and allows us entry into a brightly lit room. 

 

My father laid in a bed within, covered in a thin sheet with blood pooled around the floor. A woman who was tending to him gave me a brokenly sad look, like the world rested upon her shoulders. My father shifted slightly, looking down at me. His face was free of blood, yet paler than I’d ever seen it before. 

 

He give me a week smile and says “Hello my son…” Voice far from the soft baritone I was used to hearing. His voice was raspier than I was used to, and had a pained edge to it. I tried to straighten up and walked over to him, I tried to keep myself passive, but that facade was shattered when my father ruffled my short cropped hair and said “Just like your mother. Always strong, regardless of the circumstance.” 

 

I feel a few tears come to my eyes, blurring my vision as he spoke. His hand was lighter and gentler than normal, more comforting than affectionate. “I’m sorry my boy… But I won't last long… I should have listened to Desmond, taken the council of those around me. Instead I grew over confident and arrogant, and look where it got me?” He motions to himself, almost looking disgusted. 

 

His hand moves to my shoulder as he says “Don't pass by love my child. Don't let someone you love slip away because you were afraid, and don't hurt others in anger. Don't damage others permanently, for temporary mistakes. Be happy, and forgive. Forgive so that you may move forward.” His voice grows softer and his breath grows ragged for a moment as his eyes shut. 

 

His eyes suddenly snap back to mine though, the warm golden brown of his eyes hardened with pain, but still look identical to mine. He says “I am proud of you my son. I am proud of how far you have come in such a short time. I am, and always will be, proud of you. Regardless of what choices you make, and what you do with your life. I simply want you to be happy, and that is so rare in this life.” 

 

His hand tightens as I nod, feeling a few tears slip down my face as I say “I shall try father…” He nods, smiling a final time and saying “That is all I ask my son… I love you my boy, never forget that…” I nod shakily and say “I love you too father…” Mo voice wavering slightly as his hand falls from my shoulder and his eyes flutter shut, a small smile gracing his face. 

 

The tears come faster now, dripping down my face as I feel someone grab my shoulder and say something. I shove them off of me, turning and running from the room, darting past the guards, who tried to follow me. “ _ The guards aren't as physically fit as the others, due to the fact that they must also have an intellectual part of their training.”  _

 

Desmond’s words ring in my head as I outrun them, faster due to my lack of armor. My father's words ring through my head, Desmond’s quickly getting drowned out as I'm faced with the crushing weight of his loss. I’m an orphan now, and a half breed. Something the other kids used to tease me about when I was smaller, calling me a filthy brat of two cities, a worthless half breed that no one wanted. 

 

I’d never met my mother, as she died giving birth to me, and my father was the only person I had.  _ And now you have no one.  _ A sinister part of me whispers as I slam into something, or someone. Desmond stands in the hall, holding me to steady me as I look up at him. He seems confused before a pained look appears in his honey colored eyes. 

 

Before he can say anything I launch myself at him, wrapping my arms around his middle and burying my face into his stomach, finding everything almost to much as I let out a broken sob. He wraps his arms around me without question, rubbing my back gently. “It's okay Altair… I’m so sorry…” He says softly, seeming to saddened himself. 

 

I don't say a word, only sobbing all the harder into his robe, which he had apparently changed, as it wasn't soaked with blood. I could hear the guards run into the hall, shouting something that I couldn't make out through my tears. Desmond replies quickly and they go silent, I hear them walk away as Desmond simply holds me as I sob. 

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

It had been a bloodbath at that fort, the two of us having to kill over forty guards to get out. Yet more seemed to be streaming from every crevice I saw. I hacked and stabbed my way through the men, killing without hesitation. However we didn't make it out unsacthed, and the major bleed on Umar’s leg worried me. 

 

I’d rushed us back here, after sending a bird to the guild as I ran. We’d made it back alive, but from the tears that Altair is soaking my robe with, Umar didn't survive. I’d been happy that Altair and he had a better relationship this time around, but now I was sorry for it. Last time around his father had been executed after capture, something Altair had almost been forced to watch. 

 

This time they were both given some peace, but I was still angry with myself for not saving him. My mind kept running back to  _ What If?  _ As I held the crying boy.  _ What if I’d forced him to leave? What if I’d fought harder? What if I trained harder?  _ The questions dancing around my mind as Aslam walked up from the shadows, obviously returning from getting the Novices to bed. 

 

He looks at Altair than back up at me with a concerned look before asking “Umar didn't?...” I shake my head gravely and hold Altair tighter. Aslam nodded, giving Altair a sad look before saying “Want me to get him to bed or…” I shake my head again. “He shouldn't be alone right now, nor forced to face his peers… He’ll stay with me tonight. Go get those two and get them to bed, don't tell them anything yet.” 

 

Aslam nods and walks off toward Abbas and Malik, my side screaming in pain while I gently pry Altair off me, said boy clinging tighter with a slightly fearful sound. “Altair… I’m not going anywhere, it's okay…” I say gently, managing to get him off me momentarily before kneeling down and picking him up, feeling him bury his face into my injured shoulder. 

 

Said wound screams in pain as well, but I ignore it as I carry the crying boy to my room, leaving the infirmary. On the way to my room his sobs quieted and he fell into a disheartened sleep, grip tightening. I stepped into my room, carrying him around as I took off my boots and lit the lamps within. 

 

I gently placed Altair on my bed,forced to let him keep my outer robe due to his hold on it, the boy rolling onto his side as he sleeps and I yank off his boots, seeing a small amount of blood on the soles of them. I sighed and grabbed out a rag, setting about to cleaning them as he slept, guessing I won't get much sleep tonight as I sit down into my chair, cleaning the blood from the boots as I tried to not get lost in thought. 

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that shall be all this chapter. Review! Comment!


	3. A Leap Of Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, go me. So happy I actually wrote this on time!.... Kinda… Be aware we go through an assload of POV’s in this chapter, so be ready to switch quickly.

 

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**Malik POV - 3 Months Later**

 

I jumped down the cliff, tumbling up toward my feet, noticing Altair's fleeing form. The night after his father died, he didn't return to his room, instead he apparently stayed with Desmond. Training had been called off for a week due to Al Mualem ordering Desmond to rest, so we didn't do much for a week. After that though, Desmond worked us twice as hard. Altair had dove into it head first, accomplishing every task with newfound passion. 

 

When I asked him about it he got quite a few minutes before saying “I just… I want to make my father proud…” I had nodded and offered a few words as both Aslam and Desmond helped me get him through his grief, managing it properly. Desmond had instructed me to try and keep him talking, and let a conversation flow. I'd tried, and succeeded a few times, but most recently he seemed to be working for Desmond's praise most. 

 

Even a simple nod seemed to make him fluff up proudly like a Tom cat. I ran after Altair, Abbas steps behind him. His father had been captured a few months ago, released after the death of Altair's father. Desmond had instantly dragged the bleeding man aside and spoke softly. Not long after that, he accepted a mission from Al Mualim for a new mentor in a neighboring country. Abbas and his parting had been a painful one. 

 

Altair had stayed near Desmond, only leaving his side to comfort our friend. I panted as I came to a stop, gasping for air, Abbas continued on, bolting after Altair. A friendly rivalry had sparked between the two, causing all of us to push ourselves harder. Altair still seemed to be ahead of us by miles, running farther and longer than anyone else. However, today was special. 

 

Today was  _ the day.  _ Our final day of training under Desmond, and the day we have our test. No one knew what the test was, but apparently it was in the tallest tower of Masyaf, and incorporated the final piece of our training. No one would tell us what it was, remaining stonily silent despite our pleas. We apparently went in order of who asked. Altair had already claimed first, saying that they would pay closer attention to them the earlier they went. 

 

As I started running again, still being one of the first people to make it back, earned me a nod of approval from Desmond. Altair looked like he'd just been given the keys to the world. I raised an eyebrow as Abbas says “Desmond told him he did well.” Elaborating as to why my friend looked like a puffed up bird. I snort and say “Altair, I think you can come down from your high horse now.” Altair throws me a playful glare and says “Yeah yeah.” 

 

However he does relax a bit, still smiling like an idiot. I shake my head at him as I notice another mentor standing upon the upper level of the library. They had been watching all of us recently, talking with Desmond or intently sitting in on our lessons. It had cause confusion at first, drawing more stares than concentration. As the last of our group ran into the castle Desmond stretched with us, working through all the moves. 

 

After that, Aslam walked out to us with a giant grin and said “Aaaand  _ you're free!”  _ Jumping up onto the edge of the training ring, throwing his hands into the air. Desmond chuckles, a deep sound as he stands and says “That you are. You have until noon to return here. But rest and have fun till then, some of you will be receiving apprenticeship offers from other cities as well.” I grin at him as he walks back inside. 

 

Abbas however looks slightly confused and asks “Aslam… if you're his apprentice, why are you so old if he's only been here eight years?” Aslam blinks in slight surprise before getting a melancholic look and says “My… first mentor died when I was six years through my training. It was my stupid mistake that cost him his life… No one else would agree to train me after that, since they called me a ‘over confident fool’ and I was almost removed from the creed…” 

 

He shakes his head, apparently dispelling troubling thoughts and smiling softly saying “Desmond however took me on, training my ass off. I thought my old mentor was a hard ass, he had nothing on Desmond… but I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him.” I blink, feeling some small amount of mourning still coming from him as he turns, walking after Desmond and saying “Don't forget to relax. You'll need every bit of your energy for the test.” 

 

He vanished within the castle as I grin over at Altair and rush forward, tagging his shoulder and saying “Tag! You're it Altair!” And darting away from him, running by Abbas. The other kids laugh, Altair grinning and tagging Abbas with a shout of “Abbas! You're it!” And running off, the other kids joining in our game until breakfast. We even managed to get a few adults in on it, some older novices joining as well. 

 

By the time Breakfast finally rolled around we were all exhausted and trudged into the Hall. Desmond sat in the same spot as last time, sipping at a cup of tea. I knew that the kitchen made his special, since a serving girl always brought his separate, but I never knew what it was. I honestly wanted to have an apprenticeship with him, but as long as I became an assassin it was alright. 

 

Altair however, seemed to have his heart set on becoming  _ Desmond's  _ apprentice. Not just an Assassin, and he seemed to be fighting for it tooth and nail. He trained longer, fought harder, and studied more than I thought possible. He often roped me into his training, even dragging Abbas into it once. Yet as I sat and ate my breakfast, I could almost feel the excitement and tension in the hall. Today would decide who stays, and who leaves.  _ Today  _ would decide the rest of our lives, and the weight of it was almost terrifying.

 

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**Altair POV - Noon**

 

We all crowded around the castle training grounds, all of us fidgeting with nervousness. I gulped quietly, hiding my nervousness with a grin.  _ Desmond is never nervous, always proud and confident in every decision he makes with us… I have to show that.  _ I bump Malik with my shoulder and say “Hey, relax! It'll be fine.” Trying to comfort my frazzled friend. Abbas’s hands are shaking, something he's trying to hide. 

 

One of the larger kids says “For  _ you  _ it will be.” I look up as Malik asks “How so?” The older boy scoffs as one of his friends says “Hakeem.  _ Please.  _ Let it drop…” Hakeem refuses, instead stepping forward to angrily and painfully poke my chest with his finger. “You can't tell me that this  _ half-breed  _ is doing better than all of us without  _ help. _ I bet that traitor father of his trained him when he was younger to pass all of these tests, just so that he can have an Assassin for a son.” He growls at me. 

 

I feel my face heat up, coloring it an angry red and I move to take a step forward.  _ How dare he insult my FATHER.  _ Abbas grabs my arm and pulls me back as Malik steps between us and says “Calm down, Both of you. You know that was cruel Hakeem, and Assassins are  _ never  _ cruel. Something you'd know if you  _ studied  _ instead of making fun of Altair.” Abbas held me tightly as he said “He’s not worth it, don't fuck up all the work we put in so far because of that idiot.” 

 

I barely manage to nod as Malik glares at Hakeem a final time. He pulls away saying “Like hell any of you weaklings are going to get the apprenticeship with Desmond anyway.” Acting like he knows more than we do. Before I can ask what he means by that Desmond walks over to us, Aslam standing beside him. 

 

Hakeem instantly gives Desmond an innocent look, one he doesn't seem to acknowledge. Desmond looks over us, raising an eyebrow at our sudden change and says “This test will be very physically grueling, and you shall go in whatever order you choose. Preferably, whoever offers to go first.” 

 

I gulp softly, feeling my nerves start to make my hands shake slightly as I say “I-I'll go.” My face flushing an even deeper red at my stutter. I see Hakeem grin at it and whisper something to the person next to him as I walk forward. Desmond nods and says “This way then.” Walking away as Aslam stays with the others. My legs shake slightly as he leads me into the large guard tower. 

 

We pass a few guards we give me kind smiles as they move about, letting us through. Desmond starts to climb a ladder, leading up to the top floor. I scramble after him, shaking so bad I almost slip. By the time we're at the top I'm terrified of what it's going to be, and having so many questions with no answers and not wanting to embarrass myself by asking them. 

 

So instead I stayed silent, even though Desmond always stressed that questions asked are better than those left to wonder. He lead me into the center of the room and says “Today, you shall learn the Leap of Faith.” I nod shakily, not sure of how this is part of the training. He walks out onto the ledge, onto the thick wooden planked ledge built out of it. I swallow slightly, seeing the giant cliffs that lead down to the river. I shiver slightly at the sight. 

 

Desmond looks back at me and says “The test is simple Altair. All you have to do is get to there.” He points toward a tall tower we ran passed every day which now has Al Mualem and a few mentors standing within, before motioning off the ledge and saying “And to do so. You have to jump off this.” I stare up at him in shock, to scared for words as I look off. Desmond gently sets his hand on my shoulder and says “Just have some faith in me. It's called a  _ Leap Of Faith  _ for a reason.” 

 

I nod shakily, beyond terrified as I stepped forward as Desmond said “Jump, and angle your body so your back hits first.” Voice gentle and calming as I nod, trying to swallow down some of my fear.  _ Come on… it's just a jump… simple as that. No. I'm not jumping to my DEATH…  _ I step carefully out into the ledge, seeing Desmond step onto his beam. 

 

I can't see where I'm going to land, I just hope that it isn't the water below. Desmond nods at me and says “Copy me, and have faith that you'll land safely.” He then jumps forward, gently flipping onto his back as he falls out of my view. I heard him land gently a few seconds later, and I move to the edge. As I look down I gulp, shaking slightly as I shiver.  _ I have to do this… it's nothing… just a little  _ faith  _ in him.  _

 

My mind screams in fear as I look down, telling me that this  _ will  _ kill me. However I shove that feeling away, and jump. I barely hold in a scream as I twist in the air, and am suddenly struck with weightlessness as I fell. However, I felt more like I was flying, air rushing by me. I feel a smile appear on my face before I suddenly landed in a soft pile of hay. My smile morphs into a full blown grin, heart pounding in my ears as I pant. I hear Desmond laugh as he says “You didn't scream, well done.” 

 

I laugh as I jump out of the hay and ask “Again? Please? I want to do that again!” He almost seems to smile at my excitement as he says “You'll jump once more after this. First, the rest of your test.” He motions over to a beam, which spanned over the chasm. I gaped at it, feeling the wind gently tug at my clothes. Desmond patiently waited and said “I'll follow you. You won't be alone, but you have to figure the rest out on your own.” 

 

I nod and step carefully into the beam, and spend the next ten minutes traversing the chasm. By the time I arrived at the tower I was panting slightly from almost falling due to the wind, however I managed to regain my balance without Desmond's help. As I stare up at the tower, the few hand holds present still looked almost unuseable. I glance over at Desmond who said “Right behind you. You won't fall.” 

 

I nod shakily at him, still slightly afraid of falling off something so high as I plot my path up to the top. Once I'm sure I can reach it I grab ahold of the first handhold and start climbing. The beginning was easy, handholds plentiful as well as easy to hold onto. Yet the higher up I got the harder it became to find them, and the harder they were to hold onto. Multiple times I had to stop and find a new way to climb it. 

 

By the time I pulled myself over the edge my arms and legs ached with newfound pain and I barely managed to stand. The masters around me gave approving nods, some even grinning and saying “Well done my boy.” Or “Your father would be proud.” I grinned at all of them as Desmond steps toward the other side of the tower, which had a haystack at the ground. 

 

Desmond looked back at me and said “You can't say anything to your friends, or any other student about the test. I’ll be escorting you to Aslam, who’ll take you to your room. After everyone's done, you can do as you please till we offer you your apprenticeships. That could be tomorrow, or two days from now. Depends on how the others tests go.” 

 

I nod at him while he hummed in acceptance and walked over to the ledge, performing a Leap of Faith without even blinking. I wait until he'd exited the haystack before jumping after him. Expecting it this time made the experience even better, the weightlessness and exhilaration even more apparent as I landed. Again I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. 

 

I jumped up, grinning widely at Desmond. He nods and leads me into the castle training grounds, the others looking at me. I can't remove the giant grin from my face as Desmond nods at Aslam, who instantly leads me toward the castle. Malik goes to say something as Desmond asks “Who's next? If you don't offer to go, I'll start choosing people.” 

 

Before I can see who goes I'm lead within the castle. Aslam grins at me and says “You loved the Leap of Faith didn't you?” I nod enthusiastically and say “I felt like I was flying.” He laughs and says “Same here. You're one of the few people who's taken the test and didn't scream when the jumped.” I blink and ask “Did you?” He nods and says “Like a young girl. Took me forever to live that down.” 

 

I laugh lightly as he motions toward my room and says “Sorry, but you have to stay here until the tests are done.” I nod a final time and walk into my room and shut the door behind me, sitting gently in the chair at the desk. I pick up a book that Malik left as I suddenly hear a distant scream of terror, and feel a grin come to my face.  _ Yeah. That'll take awhile to live down.  _

 

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**Malik POV - After Nightfall**

 

Altair, Abbas and I all sat at the edge of the cliffs, the water crashing violently against the rocks below. We talked about the test, laughing at how high Abbas screamed, and promising to keep in touch regardless of what happens. “No matter where we go, what happens between us, or who comes between us, we promise to stick together.” Abbas says, standing up and staring across the water, where the moon shone across the violent waters. 

 

Altair jumps up after him and says “And that no matter what people say, we’ll always be there for one another.” I stand as well, smiling at my friends and say “And we’ll never let anything come between us.” Abbas tosses an arm around both of us and yanks us into a hug, the three of us laughing at his action. Altair pulls away first and takes a small step closer toward the water, peering over the edge. 

 

“Have either of you been down to the beach?” He suddenly asks, said beach visible from here. It was a little ways away on horseback, yet beautiful at night. The beach had pure white sand, and crystal clear waters. And if you went down to it, you'd find hundreds of shells littering the sand. I nod and say “Once. You?” Altair and Abbas shake their heads at me. 

 

I snicker at the two of them as I hear a rustling coming from the bushes nearby. Hakeem steps out of the foliage, the three boys from earlier with him as well. Hakeem looks beyond pissed, hands balled up at his sides as he says “ _ How. _ ” He marched toward Altair, shoving Abbas aside with a large move that sent him sprawling. Altair attempted to move back away from him, but was to close to the edge to get away. 

 

Hakeem grabs Altair's robe, yanking him close and saying “What is so fucking  _ special _ about you? What gave you the right to even  _ try  _ to become an Assassin? Much less try and take  _ my  _ apprenticeship?” Altair is instantly insulted and asks “Take what's  _ yours  _ you ass? I haven't taken anything!” Yet as Hakeem shakes, and the two stand at the edge of the cliff, I can see that this won't end well.

 

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**Altair POV**

 

Hakeem's hands gripped my robe tightly, and I was slightly afraid of what might happen with how he's acting. Yet I refused to show it, letting my stubbornness shine through as he shook me slightly. Making me take a slight step back, feeling the ground give slightly under my weight. Yet I was still pissed at his words from earlier about my father. So, instead of using my head and maybe trying to calm him down, I had to keep talking. Which, in hindsight, was a really bad decision. 

 

I can see his lackeys have grabbed Abbas and Malik, meaning I was kinda on my own here. I glared at him, my hood having fallen off when he grabbed me. His eyes locked into mine as he said “Maybe if  _ you  _ don't arrive at the choosing ceremony tomorrow, then they’ll have to reconsider who they give the apprenticeship too.” By this point I'm beyond confused as I say “What the heck are you talking about?” 

 

He growls low in his throat and says “You know damn well you half-breed! And this what your father should have done years ago!” Voice raising to a shout as he shoves me backward, making me stumble backwards as the ground caves under my weight, and I fall for the third time that day. Yet this time I felt nothing but mind numbing terror, as I heard my friends scream after me as my shoulders hit the water, pain blossoming across my back as I sink. 

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

I ran with Aslam on my heels, running toward the screams I heard. I dart toward the cliffs as I hear “YOU BASTARD! THAT FALL WILL KILL HIM!” From what sounds like Abbas. I run through the foliage around the cliff, seeing four boys holding Abbas and Malik to the ground.  _ That fall will kill him… _ Everything comes together when I don't see Altair as I keep running, jumping off the cliff. 

 

I hear them scream after me as I pull off a swan dive.  _ Thank you Ezio and Connor.  _ My body cuts through the water, I quickly yank my mask down as I look around, finding Altair struggling to swim to the surface and quickly losing energy. I swim over to him and grab him, pulling him with me as a breach the surface. The waves are rough here, and I feel Altair latch onto me, letting out a gasping cough. 

 

“That's it. Cough the water out…” I gently encourage as I start swimming over toward the beach. Altair clung to me tightly, whimpering with every rough wave, shaking violently. I tried to be soothing as I swam, my robes and armor and the boy clinging to me make it hard to stay afloat. Yet I forced myself to swim harder as I finally reached the beach. I held him gently as I stepped out of the water, barely getting away from the waves before sinking to my knees. 

 

_ Seems that took a little more out of me than I thought… _ I rubbed his back as he shook, feeling the warmth of his tears on my robe. I panted softly as I heard distant shouting on top of the cliff. “It's okay Altair… you're safe…” I manage to pant out after a few minutes and gently pull him off of me, causing him to cling tighter. He coughs some more, the sound better than it was originally. 

 

As the boy shook and sobbed, I sighed in both relief and defeat before I let him hold onto me as I heard distant hoofbeats. I rubbed his lower back again and say “It's fine Altair. I'll leave you with Aslam and your friends after we get back okay? I'll have to deal with something.” He shook his head and clung tighter, arms linking around my neck.  _ Guess I'm stuck with him.  _ I manage to stand after a few moments, still soaked to the bone. 

 

As I stood I could feel the weight of my clothes weigh me down, along with the shaking child I'm holding. I manage to pull my mask up as Aslam and a pair of guards rode through the tall grasses nearby. Aslam jumps off his horse before it had even stopped and ran over to us. “Oh god you scared the shit out of me you-” he says, going to touch Altair. I hold up a hand as he speaks and say “Sorry my friend. But I couldn't let him die, especially when I could save him…” 

 

Aslam nods and says “Want me to take him?” Motioning to Altair, who grabs onto me so tightly I suddenly couldn't breathe. I tap on Altair's arm and say “Air little one. Something I need.” Voice almost a rasp as he relaxes slightly. I take a deep gulp of air and say “I think I'll let him stay with me.” He nods as I see Alexander being lead by one of the guards. Aslam than glances back at Altair and says “I didn't know if Alexander would let him on…” 

 

I shrug and walk over, pulling myself into the saddle. Alexander didn't even shift, acting the same as always as I'm handed the reins. Altair clings to me, yet I can feel him begin to nod off as I take the reins in one hand, adjusting slightly before nudging him gently with my heel and we start off toward the castle. Aslam rushes to my side as asks what happened. 

 

“He couldn't swim. So I had to get us to the shore.” I say softly, feeling Altair nod off against my shoulder. He nods and says “I would have brought you a blanket or something, but we were in a rush. Also, Al Mualem ordered us find  _ you _ above all else.” I nodded slowly as Altair's head lays on my shoulder, arms still tight around my neck. Aslam continues with “Also the doctor demanded that the both of you go straight to the master where he’ll wait for you.” 

 

I nod again, finding the exhaustion that comes from fighting for my life against the  _ fucking ocean  _ making it rather hard to stay awake. It was only through Aslam’s talking and my own stubbornness did I make it back to the castle awake. As I rode into the castle training ground I saw Malik and Abbas run up to my horse, yet keep a few feet between us when the see Alexander. I nod at them as I dismount, swaying slightly and holding onto Alexander for support. 

 

Malik rapidly fired off questions at me as I blink, to tired to even comprehend what he's saying as I reply “Whoa whoa. Calm. He's fine, I'm fine, we have to see the master. Aslam, please explain.” My words are simple as I step around him, walking up to the Master's study. I nearly trip four times, the exhaustion I feel from my sudden swim weighs me down, as well as my still partially soaked form and sleeping ancestor. 

 

I step slowly into his study, seeing the doctor and two apprentices try and rush over as I stand in front of the master. Before I could get a word out I feel a chair slam against my knees and a hand on my shoulder. I slam down into the luckily padded chair as the doctor tried to take Altair from me. He woke up instantly and clung tighter, kicking the apprentice in the stomach. 

 

I grab him, holding him against me and say “Everyone stop a moment.” Voice gentle yet commanding. Altair stops struggling and glares at the apprentice, the doctor sighing gently and saying “I have to look over the both of you.  _ Now.  _ Before you become ill.” I nod and say “Altair. I have to speak with the master. Go with them.” Nudging the boy softly. He shakes his head and holds my robe tightly. 

 

I sigh and say “I'll be right behind you, but I have to speak to the master first.” He peers up at me and asks “Promise?” Seeming like an eight year old again, instead of a stubborn two year old. I nod and say “I promise.” Only than were they able to get him off me as he walks away with them. I look at the master, who sat at his desk and says “The boy Malik came an explained what happened… the boy had-” 

 

I hold up a hand and say “Tomorrow will go as planned.” The master blinks and says “I was planning on it. I won't lose such talent due to a small fall. Now, the four who caused it. They'll be removed.” I nod at him and say “As expected. Is that all?” He nods and says “Off you go.” Sounding like a father talking to a child. I glare at him slightly before walking away, walking straight over to the infirmary. 

 

I see Altair hiding near the main room and ask “What happened?” He looked up at me and said “They wanted to use  _ bloodletting _ for my fever. I'm not letting that fool  _ cut me  _ to make me  _ better. _ ” I laugh and say “He won't. Not as long as I'm here. Now, we better you warmed up.” I nudge him toward the main room, finally feeling a small amount of relaxation come over me as I watch him follow me.  _ Just like a duckling.  _

 

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**Altair POV**

 

I stood with everyone else in the training ground, watching as we waited to be called. Hakeem and his friends had been escorted from the castle that morning, and told to never step foot within its walls again. None of us had seen Desmond since yesterday, I woke up in my room. Malik had woken me up by jumping on top of me and hugging me, Abbas had Burst into the room and done the same. 

 

We'd all gotten dressed and were lead out here by a guard, and told that we would be called into the master's study. All of us were talking with nervous excitement, yet silenced as a guard stepped out of the library with a list. He looked over all of us and says “You shall have your name called, and you shall step within the library and walk into the master's study. There you shall choose who to mentor you, then you are to return out here till your mentor comes to get you.” 

 

He had than said the name of one of the students, who shakily went inside. He was there for about ten minutes before he stepped back out, a giant grin on his face as he ran over to his friend as the guard called the next name. The next three went by, each excited at their acceptance by their mentor. And as each person went inside I felt my own fear bubble up.  _ What if he offers it to someone else…  _

 

Malik and Abbas were in the same boat, all of us shaking and waiting as the guard said “Altair Ibn-La'ahad.” I gulped quietly as Abbas and Malik both pushed me gently toward the library.  _ Now or never…  _ I walk softly into the library, the guard nodding at me. I walk over to the steps, quickly climbing them as my hands shake. As I arrive at his study I see the master standing behind his desk with a few masters around him. 

 

I saw, from my left to right, our blacksmith, the horsemaster, the head guard, the head courier and scribe master, and finally a Assassin I didn't know and then Desmond. They nod at me as the master says “Those who wish to mentor this young boy, say so now. Altair, you shall chose from those who offer.” I nod shakily at him as the speak. The blacksmith shakes his head, while the Horsemaster says “From how I saw you interact with Alexander, you'd be a welcome addition to the stable my boy.” 

 

The guard Instantly adds on “Your speed and strength would make you more than welcome with the guards.” Our scribe master then says “Like he would want to listen to you all day Foust. You boy would be a wonderful scribe with your study skills.” Before I can say anything the courier says “Or an amazing courier. His skills would be best put to use with us.” He glares at our scribe as the Assassin says “Oh silence you two. All of us know he would do best as an Assassin. An Assassin I'd happily Mentor.” 

 

I gape at him as Desmond says “I think we all know he would do best under my care, as I am the most  _ qualified  _ for the job.” The man gives Desmond a playful glare as Desmond continues with “I'd happily mentor you Altair, if you wish to continue training with me that is.” I grin, staring at all of them, mentally trying not to scream as I the master asks “Now is your choice. As-” I cut him off instantly and say “Desmond. I choose Desmond.” 

 

The master chuckles as Desmond grins and says “Told you sooooo!” In a sing song voice at the other Assassin, who shakes his head with a smile. Desmond than nods toward the stairs and I walk over, saying goodbye to everyone as I walk back outside, giant grin on my face. Abbas and Malik smile at me as I approach, Malik snorting and saying “Looks like he got it.” Abbas nods as I hear the guard call for Malik. And so I waited for this to all be over. 

 

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

I was nearly bouncing in place as I waited for Desmond to exit, my friends also having gotten the other two apprenticeships with Assassins. Malik and Abbas stuck close to me as we waited, Desmond finally exiting the library. He gave me a small smile and says “Come on. We don't have long.” He starts jogging away as I bolt after him, waving to my friends as I rush to catch up to him. 

 

As we ran from the castle he asks “Can you ride a horse?” I shake my head and he nods. “Alright. Than it's time to learn.” He keeps at a constant jogging pace that has me panting while I sprint beside him. My legs shake slightly by the time we arrive at the stables, Desmond nodding at the nearby stable boy. He barely slows down as he walks further inside, calling out to our stablemaster. 

 

Said man walks into the room and smiles at us, raising an eyebrow and asks “Already taking him with you?” Desmond nods and says “He needs to learn how to ride, preferably by tomorrow.” He nods and walks over to a stall, grabbing the door and leading a soft brown mare out of it. He motioned me over and said “Every horse is slightly different in personality. Rosetta here is very mild tempered.” 

 

He had Desmond hold the reins before he grabbed out a small amount of stuff and shows me how to saddle her, teaching me how to tighten the saddle, and put on the bridle. “Some trips may require you staying a day or two on the road, and being able to care for your horse is a necessity.” He than shows me how to brush her down and care for her completely. 

 

“Rosetta won't be taking you on this trip, she's too old unfortunately. So, you'll walk with Desmond to choose one, and I'll have it ready for you in the morning.” He continues, I nodded as he said “Now, time to ride!” He leads Rosetta outside into a small corral and had Desmond shut the gate. The two of them teach me how to get onto a horse, and the differences between Assassin horses and regular horses. 

 

“Ours are made for stamina, able to outrun any other breed.” Our stablemaster says proudly before Desmond continues with “They also are summonable. You can whistle for them, and they'll find you. They also will buck off anyone who tries to steal them from you.” I nod slowly as Desmond helps me swing up into the saddle, the sudden height startling. Our stablemaster holds the reins while I get my bearings. 

 

Desmond gently takes them and says “Hold the saddle, and find your center of balance. I'll walk her around, than I'll let you move her.” I nod shakily, not used to the feeling of the horse under me. He slowly walks back, the horse stepping confidently forward, rocking me slightly. It takes a few minutes to get used to this, but somehow Desmond notices when I do. He seems to smirk before  _ tossing  _ me the reigns and saying “Be gentle.” 

 

He than takes a few steps away, making me scramble to catch them. I hold them gently like he showed me and spend the next few minutes figuring out how to get her to move  _ forward _ , let alone turn. However, by dinner I could ride very well according to myself. However choosing a horse was harder, since there were so many. 

 

By the end of it I found a black and brown stallion much like Desmond's named Damien. We then started running back to the castle, yet stop at the blacksmith. “Axel!” Desmond shouts into the place, voice far louder than I was used to hearing. Axel shouted something unintelligible, most likely in a language I didn't know. He exits the forge, covered in soot and metal shavings, giving us a giant grin. 

 

“Desmond! And your apprentice! Do what do I owe the pleasure my friend?” He says, voice so deep it almost seems to make the ground shake. Desmond chuckles softly and says “I need two sets of throwing knives, one boot knife, and a pair of training bracers.” He nods and says “Due to your  _ special  _ ability to use more knives than anyone else, I've made a few spare sets lately. So I'll get you're stuff now.” 

 

I blink at him as Axel walks into the forge and moves some things around, exiting with two leather pouches, a knife in a sheathe, and two items wrapped in cloth. He thanks him before walking off, motioning for me to follow him. He adjusts the things in his arms and says “After dinner I'll show you how to put these bracers on.  _ You will not take them off.  _ They will stay on you until I say so, or you're bathing, or actively dying.” 

 

I nod as he continues with “The boot knife is for me, mine met an unfortunate end. However, you will receive your own set of throwing knives. These you'll place in your pack tonight and keep them there for now. You'll learn how to use them later.” I nod again, the two of us stepping into the castle. He hands me my bracers and knives, taking his knife and sliding it into an empty sheath in his right boot. 

 

He ruffled my hair suddenly and said “Go spend time with your friends… we leave Masyaf tomorrow morning. Make the most of your time, and you'll stay in your room tonight. Make sure you pack.” He walks off than, slipping knives into places as he walked into the Hall. I smile after him before following, looking around and finding my friends all sitting at our rug, Desmond sitting with Aslam and the Master at another rug. 

 

I walk over to my friend, setting my stuff down as someone serves food. Everyone talks happily about what they did, Abbas talking about how his mentor was showing his how the hidden blade worked. Malik’s went to show him the books he'd need to read. I felt a little short sided when I told them I was only learning how to ride, and that I was leaving tomorrow. Instead of being ignored like I thought I would be, I received a few gaping grins as everyone wanted to know where. 

 

Id forgotten that none of us had ever left the village, living here our whole lives. Now, I would be the first to leave, with no clue of when I'd return. I was exhausted by the time I reached my room, only for Desmond to stop me. He took the bracers, which were barely smaller than my lower arm, and carefully showed me how to put them on. “I'll teach you how to do many things most Assassins haven't tried, or thought of. I will ask much of you, and never more than I think you can handle.” 

 

I nodded at his words as he bid me goodnight. I quietly walked back to my room, grinding Malik already asleep and a saddle bag sat on my bed. I quietly packed what I had, which wasn't much, and set it on my trunk. I shivered as I pulled on my sleeping clothes and climbing into bed, and as my eyes fluttered shut, I could finally let go of the tension I'd been holding.  _ I did it… _

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go. I really liked how this chapter came out, and everything that happened in it. Review! Comment! Tell me how I did!!


	4. To Damascus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at chapter four. I hope you like it!

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

I woke with the dawn as usual, sighing softly into my pillow. I’d be leaving in a few hours. Leaving with my ancestor to Damascus to begin training him to become a killer that would strike fear into the hearts of every man who heard his name. I stood up, stretching and rubbing a hand over my new scar. 

 

With every wound I got that might have killed me, I instead got a scar. The one on my side is long and jagged, going from a few inches left of my spine, and wrapping around until it was about three inches away from my belly button. The scar on my shoulder was a little smaller, only six inches long over the top of my shoulder. 

 

I had a gained a few scars over my years here, yet those two were my largest so far. I knew that I would collect more over my years, yet I felt relieved to have these here. A testament to what I’ve done, proof of the battles I’ve won. These, and the journals I have. I began writing as a child, something I picked up from my mother, something I’ve continued here as well. 

 

I stepped over to my bookshelf, running my fingers down the spines of the books I have, and along the brown spines of my journals. Each had the year cut into the spine and filled with black ink. To ensure I would always know when I wrote them. I dedicated one journal to each year, and as I pulled out the farthest journal to the right, with this year on it, I smile softly to myself. 

 

I knew I couldn't be completely honest within these journals, in the event that they fell into the wrong hands. But I took certain measures against prying eyes, like writing with a mixture of Arabic and Latin. But they were things I knew Altair could eventually decipher with the apple, should I choose to leave them here. And within these I wrote my thoughts and feelings, sometimes wrote of what I did as an Assassin. 

 

Everyone knew they weren't to ever enter my room without my permission, especially after I nearly took the arm off another assassin who decided to snoop through my stuff. Instead I just fractured the bone and sent him away screaming curses at me. I toss my journal onto my bed, grabbing another one out of the box I have on the shelf under it and tossing it to my bed as well. 

 

I grab two books in French and English respectively, knowing I’ll need to teach these two languages to Altair before I’ll let him become a fully fledged Assassin. So I toss these onto my bed, stepping over to my weapons. I look across the wall and table before selecting what I want to take. 

 

I pull on my outfit before pulling on the weapons I cannot leave behind. My throwing knives and sword for one. I check over my hidden blades, making sure everything's perfect before moving onto my other weapons. I stopped at the large longbow that hung on the wall, one that I had made after a year here. It took months to get the wood I needed for it, and even longer to make the wood do as I wished. 

 

I pulled it down off the hooks I'd set into the wall, running my hand along it. I'd used Yew wood to make it, even though I'd have liked to use Maple or Oak. However Oak was found in America, a place we didn't know about yet. So I made do with what I had, and spent a good year just getting the wood to work right and dry. After that I'd spent time trimming and sanding, getting it into the shape I needed for it to work. 

 

Then I had to test it's draw ability, making sure it wouldn't crack when I drew the string back. After that I spent checking which side was stiffer and editing the string. After that I had to stain and seal it, making the wood a dark gray color and placing a thick varnish on it to ensure it didn't become damaged by the weather or elements. After that it was just the final touches before it was done. 

 

All I did was wrap a cord around the hand part so I could grip it properly, and I once more thanked Connor.  _ Very few people can make their own longbow. Let alone one this perfect in the 1100’s.  _ I strung the bow and plucked the string softly, the deep thrum that echoed around the room brought up countless memories. Hunting as Connor, taking down animals in the winter time, silencing soldiers before they even noticed I was there, even hunting down men in this life as well. 

 

I shiver as the sound dissipates and I gently unstrung the bow and set it on my bed.  _ I will take that… it might be useful.  _ I look through everything else and grab my quiver, my smaller fighting knife, my boot knife, and finally my extra throwing knife belt. My knives went on my center belt, a few in my boot, and on my shoulder. I had a feeling I'd be giving this to Altair soon, with his speed and understanding of things. 

 

After that was done I stepped over to my trunk and grab two uniforms, folding them up easily. I than grab my saddle bags and pack them quickly, leaving my bow and quiver next to them before leaving my room a little under an hour later. I knew that they would be serving breakfast now, and I wanted to eat before we left. I walked down to the Hall, finding Altair already there with his friends. 

 

He jumps up when he sees me walking over with a small amount of awe visible. I knew I was a little more armed than normal, something that he must see. “Go eat, after breakfast we’re leaving, so spend your time wisely.” I say before nodding toward his friends. He nods with a small smile and walks back over to them, and I walk over to my rug, finding the sounds around me calming as I think over the journey I have ahead of me. 

 

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Altair POV**

 

I smiled at everyone as I rubbed at my arms, the bracers a foreign feeling. I'd been able to look them over this morning, finding a beautiful but simple design on them made of steel. I glanced over at Desmond, finding his back to me as he spoke softly to those around him. He was more armed than normally, I saw a large deadly looking knife on his back. I could see the small indents for the knives on his shoulder and remembered the knives in his boots. 

 

Abbas had told us of the Hidden blade, yet no one else had seen one yet. I saw the bracers on Desmond's arms, but I didn't know which one was a hidden blade, or if he just wore bracers. I was so lost in thought that I barely paid attention to my friends, who all chatted around me as I was suddenly struck with a tiny amount of fear. I was leaving Masyaf, I was leaving my home and everyone I knew. 

 

I was about to begin training that would take years to master, if I ever did. And with the best Assassin the creed had ever seen. It was a little intimidating to think about as he suddenly stood, glancing over at me and nodding toward the door. I nod and say goodbye to my friends, getting a quick hug from Abbas and Malik before I rush to follow Desmond, who's walking out of the room. 

 

We walk a moment in silence before he says “Go grab your saddle bag, then meet me at the castle gates.” I nod and rush off to my room, missing the smile he sends after me while I dart up to my room. I grab my bag, carrying it carefully as I walk to the gates, waiting for Desmond, who makes an appearance a few minutes later. I hide my stare as he walks out with two saddle bags, and a giant dark gray bow. 

 

He wore it over his shoulder, carrying a quiver in his hand as he nodded at me and walked out of the gate. I follow him, trying to keep close as the people of the village slowly start waking up. “Normally, I would have left last night. But since we're traveling a greater distance, it made more sense to leave later and rest after sundown.” I nodded as we gained stares from the people who exit their homes. 

 

I felt a little awkward under the stares as Desmond seems to notice it. “Ignore them. They’re curious since you're in the garb of an apprentice, and this village is small. Most don't have much to talk about, so they talk about people. You'll get used to it, and learn how to hide as well.” He says as we approach the gates of the village, and I see our two horses saddled and held by a stable boy who's a few years older than I am. 

 

He holds the reins and let's us set and secure our bags on the horses, Alexander giving the apprentice a harsh look as Desmond offers him an apple. I look up at my horse before climbing into the saddle, finding it a little easier this time. The stable boy passed me the reigns and says “Good luck.” Before Desmond climbs onto his horse and we set off. 

 

I shivered softly with a small amount of fear as we passed the village gates. I'd never been this far away from my childhood home, and the thought of leaving it for an unknown amount of time a little terrifying. So I rode close to Desmond as he lead us away from the gates. It was quiet for a little while before Desmond asked “What has your father told you of Damascus?” 

 

I blinked in shock and say “Not much… just that it is one of the largest cities…” Desmond nods and says “It is  _ the _ largest city currently built. It is home to thousands of people, and split into three main districts. The poor district, with the most citizens, the middle district which is home to most of the formal buildings, and the rich district, which holds the wealthy of the city.” 

 

I nodded along as the road stretched before us and he continued saying “Our Creed has a sanctuary built within the poor district, that's where we will be staying for the time being. There are a few older apprentices there who are training to be Assassins as well, however I don't know how they will react to you.” I nodded again, not really knowing what to say. 

 

“We’ll travel today, and camp tonight a little ways from the city as we won't make it before they close the gates, and while the outside of the gates has land you can camp on, it's not the best idea. It usually covered in theives and I don't feel like maiming anyone today.” I nod and look down at my hands before I hear him pull something out of a sheathe. 

 

He drops his horse back so that we're riding side by side, he takes the reigns from my hands and passes me the large knife that he had on his back. I take it as he gently leads our horses as I look over the blade. It was intricately engraved, yet heavy enough to block a sword stroke. I look up in question as he says “What do you think that is good for? And when would you like to use it.” 

 

I gulp and go to speak before he cuts me off and says “I won't get mad if you gave me the wrong answer, or say you don't know. I'm here to teach you, and I can't do that if you don't tell me when you don't know something.” I nod and say “I really don't know…” my relief almost all consuming as he nods. “It's very good when dealing with many enemies in close quarters. You can move faster and disarm them easier than you can with a sword.” 

 

I nod as he takes the blade and slips it back into it's place, before pulling out a smaller throwing knife and passing it to me. “What do you think that's good for? And when would you like to use it?” And that's how the rest of the day went, with him quizzing me and teaching me the different weapons. There were so many that he kept on his person that by the time dusk fell he was still telling me about them. 

 

“Why do you have a bow like that though? I thought Assassin's used crossbows.” I asked as he stopped us and lead us over toward a small cave beside the road. He raised an eyebrow at me and said “You read over the archery books.” I nodded as he says “It is easier to use a crossbow, you don't need as much strength, anyone with two eyes and an arm can use one. A bow, or more specifically a longbow,  is a little more difficult.” 

 

He nods at me horse while taking the saddle off his, I quickly do the same as he continues saying “You have more control with a longbow, and more range. I can be farther away and still hit my target using this. It's also a weapon that most recognize, and steer clear of. A sword might deter most citizens, but a bow can ensure that most guards will stay away as well.” 

 

I nodded slowly as I set my saddle down, Desmond nodding and saying “I’ll be right back. Stay here okay? However if you hear someone coming, hide.” I nodded as stepped out of the cave into the rapidly darkening night. As the sun dropped so did the temperature as I stuck close to Damien, while my stomach let out a small rumble. We hadn't really stopped all day, keeping at an even pace the whole time. 

 

We'd stopped once to use the bathroom, but other than that we were riding. My legs and backside ached from the ride, and I was sure I had a sore or two there as well. I didn't want to sit down at all, so I gently brushed Damien down making him stand proudly when I was done. Alexander looked down at me with surprise as I approached him and said “Come down here. I can't reach your mane all the way up there.” 

 

He ruffled his mane, giving me a odd look before bending his head down enough for me to reach him. I was beginning to worry about Desmond as the sun was showing its final rays of light. Before I could get very far through Alexander's mane he returned though, footsteps so soft I didn't even hear him until he stepped onto the stone of the cave floor. 

 

I jumped badly, whipping around as he walks in carrying a large pile of wood, which he places near the cave mouth. “Come here, time to learn how to build a fire.” I place the brush I had in my pack before moving over to him as he crouched and set the wood in certain ways. It looked almost like a tent, before he took one piece and started shaving off tiny strips. 

 

“This is kindling. It's smaller than regular wood and will light easier. You want a little pile of it to help light the other wood. For wood you want older, dried wood. The newer, still green stuff will smoke and smolder instead of burn. If you're sending smoke signals there amazing though. In this instance however, not so much.” He says as he made a small pile at the base of the wood pile. 

 

He than moves to grab two stones from his pack and returns, holding them out to me. I take them and he says “These are striking stones. You can use them to create sparks, which light the kindling. Go ahead and try it.” He motions toward the kindling and I try and he says, striking them in an effort to spark the kindling. I manage it after a few tries, he shows me how to help the fire grow before using it to light the other wood. 

 

“You can use dried leaves, dead grass, rotten cloth, human hair, and small slivers of dried wood for kindling. Use what you can, and remember to feed your fire every so often to keep it alive. Now, hungry?” I nod quickly as he chuckles and walks off to his pack, returning a few moments later with a small bundle of cloth and a water skin. He sits on the floor, and I copy, wincing as I sit down. 

 

He motions toward the fire and says “Carefully move your robe so that you won't catch fire and sit with your back to it. The heat will help the sores on your backside, as well as the cramps in your legs.” I nod and do as he says, sighing softly as the heat does help soothe the pain there. He crosses his legs and unwraps the bundle he held to reveal some dried meat, a loaf of bread, and some hard cheese. 

 

He pulls out his boot knife, running It through the Fire than using it to cut through the soft bread as he says “These are the basic provisions you'll receive whenever traveling to other cities. They all can last a few days, and you'll get a small amount of money to use when in the city as well. You can usually eat at the Assassin Sanctuary, however I prefer the food you can usually find in the city.” I nod as he moves and cuts the cheese into small slices and puts one on a piece of bread and passes it to me. 

 

“Here, Eat. I know you're hungry.” He says, giving me a small smile behind his mask. I nod and take it, finding it to be surprisingly tasty despite the plainness of it. He than passed me a thick strip of dried meat and the water skin, and the two of us eat in a comfortable silence. He was placed so that his face was shadowed while he ate, keeping him hidden from me. 

 

I wanted to ask why he hid his face, some of us thought it was because he was scared, or perhaps disfigured. Some thought it was so that he could one day leave the creed as a free man. I just wanted to ask him, but as the minutes passed I became more and more tired, and the exhaustion that had been building up all day suddenly hit me. 

 

Desmond gently nudged me from the fire and rolled out a bed roll and said “Sleep. You'll need it.” I nodded as I curled up in a ball under my blanket, close to the fire for warmth and felt my eyes slowly slip shut, falling into a deep and restful sleep. 

 

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

I wake up with a small jump as he shook my shoulder, and I look up at him. The fire is out, and light is just peaking over the horizon. He motions me up and passes me an apple, I take it as he says “Eat this, also pack up, it's time to go.” I nod and place the apple in my pocket and roll my bedding up, placing it on my saddle and tying it down before placing my saddle on Damien, who gently nuzzled me. 

 

I smiled and saddled him up, taking a bite of my apple when I was done. Desmond took his knife and sliced the other apple in his hand in half, taking the first half and letting Alexander have it, while offering the other to Damien. The two horses munched happily as I ate my apple as well. 

 

Before long the two of us were back in the saddle, much to my dislike as the pain in my thighs and backside was still present while the sun rose above the horizon, bathing the world in light. As we rode toward Damascus I saw more and more people appear, some people carrying pots or baskets, some merchants left the city and made their way towards other areas. 

 

I watched them with interest as they gave us a wide gap to ride through, and Desmond softly told me to stick close. I nodded and did as I was told, riding close behind him down the dirt road as the sun slowly rose. A little while later we made a final turn, and Damascus rose in front of us. 

 

I stared at it in awe as Desmond stopped and said “Beautiful, is it not?” I nodded as I took in the giant buildings, beautiful architecture, tall spires, massive guard towers and walls. It was nothing like Masyaf, which seemed like a safe haven. This place seemed more like an imposing place than my home. 

 

I gulped as Desmond nudged his horse forward and began walking down the paths to the walls of the city. I rushed after him, seeing guards watching the gates and demanding papers or money from people. I saw a few merchants that set up their wares outside the walls and a large stable nearby. 

 

Desmond lead Alexander through the people to the stables and dismounted, he motioned for me to do the same. “Take your pack and put it on your back, keep it close. Thieves are soft footed and quick, be wary and watch those around you. Don't let anyone bump into you.” He says softly before taking his own pack and holding it gently as I scramble to toss mine on my back. 

 

He took Damien's reigns and Alexander’s, before leading them to a stable boy nearby. He looked us over and said “You can purchase a stall indefinitely, it's -” Desmond cuts him off and says “I’m actually a friend of the Rafiq, and he said you can watch them for me.” The man pales and he takes the reigns and says “As you wish sir.” Leading them away. 

 

Desmond nods and sets his bow back around his torso and gently ties the quiver against his hip before walking off toward a group of scholars, who all stood close together. They looked up at us, nodding deeply before Desmond says “Clasp your hands like so.” He shows me the same move the others make. 

 

I copy as he says “Be patient walk with them. This is what we call blending, merging with the people and being hidden by them. For the best place is to hide in plain sight, they’ll look over you without a second thought. You’ll walk behind me, keep your head bowed and watch my feet, stay silent.” 

 

I nod as he walks us over to the scholars, who surround us and we all begin walking toward the gates. I drop my head and my gaze to Desmond's boots, watching his small and gentle steps as we walked. I saw the edges of the guards boots move away to allow us to walk into the city. I was so surprised, that these scholars helped us within the city without a single question. 

 

We walked into the next street, the people loud and boisterous here. Desmond gently pulled me from the scholars huddle, letting them walk on without us. He gently steered me off into the city as I stared at the people and wonders that they had here. The buildings were bigger here, and closer packed as well. 

 

They had roof gardens and giant markets. They had people who sold everything I could think of, from large rugs to pots painted with hundreds of colors, scents of food wafted from everywhere around us. I was so wrapped up in everything else I almost lost Desmond. He however pulled me into an alley and I came back to earth. 

 

He motioned to a ladder and said “Up you get.” Motioning up the ladder. I move up it, quickly reaching the top as he follows me, looking around for something. He points to an open roof about three houses down and said “We’re going there. Remember where this is. It's an Assassin Bureau. You will come here before and after Assassinations, it's our safe haven, designed to shelter us from guards and prying eyes. However if you are being chased, it's doors shall stay shut to you.” 

 

I nod as we walk over, Desmond watching for guards as we move to there. He helps me down first, letting me reach the floor before jumping to the ground. I don't know how he didn't break his bow landing but he rolled up to his feet, nodding at me. The room was large, with rugs and pillows adorning it. 

 

It had a small fountain with the symbol of the creed above it and rugs hanging on the walls. Desmond ushered me through the door into another area of the Bureau. This had a large table that separated us from the Rafiq of the Bureau. He gave us a smile and says “Ah! Desmond! To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

 

Desmond chuckles and says “I’m here to begin training my apprentice. May we stay within the Bureau rooms?” He nods and says “Of course. Down the hall and to the left, choose from the rooms on the right, and have him select a room on the left. Those with ribbons on the handles are taken. Here, so you may mark yours.” 

 

He hands him two pieces of ribbon, one red and the other white. He hands me the white one and we walk into the other area which was a long hall with doors on either side. Desmond walks down to the end and takes the last door on the right, nodding to the left one and saying “That can be yours. Go ahead and set your stuff inside.” I nod and move over, tying the ribbon around the handle and enter the room. 

 

Inside is a bed, bookshelf, desk, and trunk. The floor had a thick rug on it and the bed had a thick comforter on it. The bookshelf had a few books in it, but most of the shelf was empty. I set my bag on my bed before walking back out and shutting my door. Desmond exits a few moments later, having left his bow in his room. “Do not go into my room without permission.” 

 

I nod at him and he says “Okay. Now let's go. I want you to see more of Damascus as midday comes around.” I hurry after him as we leave the hall and the sanctuary completely. Standing on the roof of the building, he leads me back to the ladder and says “Come on, the market is always a good place to start.” 

 

I follow him as he climbs down the ladder and steps out into the streets of the city. He kept me close, and avoided soldiers when we could. Before long we were in the main market place, and he began leading me to an alley. “Do you want to see everything better?” He asks, watching me closely as I say “Yes, I really do.” This place was so massive, and I was so short compared to others. 

 

He nods and says “Then keep up!” before taking off at a sprint, I run after him, barely able to keep up. He skids to a stop in an alley and gives me a grin behind his mask. “Up we get. Be careful, guards are nearby.” I nod and hurry up the ladder, keeping low to the roof as I see a guard looking over the market below us. Desmond climbs up after me and says “See where he is now? He's in view of the other guard over there.” 

 

He points out another guard a few buildings over that I hadn't noticed. “When he turns, we can knock out this guard. I don't kill unless I have to, so I can put him in a choke hold for a bit so he passes out. Now, come over here.” He pulls me over to a small garden nearby and we crouch within. “These are amazing places to hide, you can duck in one while they chase you, and they'll run right by. But you have to make sure no one can see you.” 

 

I nod as he gently moves the cloth away and shows me the guards again. “Watch them. The usually move from spot to spot every few seconds. Count how long it takes until they switch positions and see how long they're out of sight.” I nod and count how long they stand in my sight, how long they're moving, and how long I can't see them before they reappear. I nod and say “About a minute they stand, ten seconds to move, than another minute of standing.” 

 

He nods approvingly and says “That means we have a minute and ten seconds to knock out that guard, and get up that tower there.” He motions to a massive tower a building away. I shiver with a small amount of terror and say “What master?” He snorts and says “It'll be fine. Let's go!” I hadn't noticed the guards had moved and he jumped out of the garden and grabbed the guard, pinning him in a headlock as he silently struggled. 

 

I stare in shock as Desmond lowers him to the ground and pulled him behind the garden, out of sight of the other guard. He grinned and said “Come on! We have to move!” I nod shakily and jump over the small wall of the garden and rush after Desmond as he ran over to the other building by the beams between them. I ran after him as he ran up the wall and grabbed onto a ridge in the stonework of the tower. 

 

I tried to rush after him, but I couldn't quite make it to a grabbable ledge. But Desmond grabbed my arm and pulled me up enough to grab the ledge. He nodded and said “We're headed up, so be careful. I may not be able to catch you and I'm not having you die.” I nod at him as he has me climb ahead of him, and we climbed for what felt like hours. My arms ached and shook from the effort, and my stomach and shoulders hurt from the effort of pulling my body up over and over. 

 

Finally we make it to the top of the tower, gasping and shaking as Desmond pulls himself up behind me without any problems. He placed a hand on my shoulder and asked “Are you okay?” I nod and he walks over to the small piece of wood jutting out of the tower. “Climb up and look around.” I nod and do as he said, inching out onto the beam in a crouch to the edge before I looked at the city. 

 

My breath caught in my throat as I saw the city sprawl out beneath my feet. The small cross crossing lines of the streets, the gaps between the houses, even other towers like this one. They all stood plainly in my sight. I heard Desmond climb up behind me as I pull my eyes from the amazing view and see Desmond crouching behind me. Even crouched he's bigger than I am, and he peers out of the city with sharp eyes. 

 

“This is the best way to get a good grip on where you are and find the easiest ways around. Do you want to know the easiest ways to find viewpoints like this?” He asks, giving me a tiny smile. I nod rapidly and he replies “Eagles. They'll either perch or nest up here. They love the height.” He nodded his head forward and I turn around again, seeing a massive Eagle fly over and land mere inches away from me. 

 

I freeze in fear, having seen these giant birds grab small prey and snatch it up in there deadly claws. I gulped as I looked down at said claws, seeing them gleaming in the light. I looked back to at the head of the giant bird, seeing it turn and looked me in the eye. It's eyes were a golden color like mine, and it tilted its head gently to the side as a felt a warm, tingly sensation from behind my eyes encompass my entire head before all the color drains from the world. 

 

I shake as I rapidly look around, the world varying shades of gray. I turn and look at Desmond, who is suddenly glowing a bright and nearly blinding blue. I yelp and scramble away in shock, loosing my footing and tumbling from the beam. I barely even draw a breath staring at the swirling grays as Desmond grabbed my arm and I blinked sharply, the world returning to normal as I cling to him. 

 

He yanks me up onto the beam and hold me close to him as I hear his breath shake as tears reflexively drip down my face and I cling to him, shaking like a leaf. He holds me tightly to his chest and I feel him move away from the edge and stand up, hugging me gently and murmuring comforting words. “Shh… it's okay Altair. You're alright.” I bury my face into the hard metal armor he wears as I shake. 

 

_ Oh god… what was that? Should I say something? What if I'm branded as a warlock or a wizard or something? They'll kill me for that… so let's just say nothing…  _ I swallow slowly as I shake before Desmond asks “Altair? Your eyes were gold.” I shiver in fear,  _ oh god he's gonna call me a wizard and have me killed, _ he holds me gently and asks “What did you see?” I shake my head against his chest, wishing that he'd just leave it alone. 

 

I feel him tighten his hold on me and says “Altair, please tell me what you saw…” I whimper and say “It was… gray. Everything was varying shades of gray everywhere I looked except for you. You  _ glowed blue  _ master! What's wrong with me…” I feel him place a hand on my head and ruffle my hair through my hood. He seems to ponder something for a time before saying “I thought your father may have spoken of it, but I see he didn't.” 

 

I pull away and look at him in shock as he continues saying “The Sight. Hunters Vision. Eagle Vision. It's known by a variety of names but is a very rare thing for someone to be born with. Currently, there are only two living people with this talent that I know of, and they are both in the brotherhood.” I gape at him as he lets me stand and says “Those two people are you and me Altair.” 

 

I feel like my jaw was on the floor as my fear was slowly replaced with curiosity. “To put it simply, you can see the truths in people. You can see friend and foe in a crowd, see your target and an informant. No one can hide from your sight. It's the reason your father and I are such well respected assassins. Nothing can hide them from us.” He crouched down so that I could look him in the eye before he shuts his eyes a moment. 

 

He snaps them back open and I see what he meant about my eyes. His eyes had been a honeyed brown before, now they were a shimmering gold. They were brighter than the birds, but held the same intelligence and an almost scary power. He blinks again and it vanishes, and I look down at the ground.  _ My dad had this ability?...  _

 

He reaches out again and ruffled my hair and said “It's a secret. Even among the brothers, very few people know about this. The master doesn't even know about It, and I'd prefer if you didn't tell him. And if you want, I can teach you how to use it. Along with what the colors mean.” I gape at him and say “So… I'm not… I'm not evil?” He blinks and snorts before saying “No. You aren't evil, we  _ fight _ evil. This is just an ability you'll have to master.” 

 

I nod with a small smile and say “Okay master. Can you teach me now?” He chuckles and says “I can tell you the basics. Shut your eyes, and search through your mind. Wish for the sight to see the truth of those around you.” I nod and do as he says, feeling the tingly feeling again before I open my eyes. Desmond glows blue before me again and I grin as he laughs. “Well done! First try too, you'll be a master of this in no time. Now, let the feeling fade.” 

 

I nod and shut my eyes a moment as the feeling goes away and everything is back to normal. He nods approvingly and says “The sight works wonders, but the problem is that it can be altered by your opinion of someone.” I nod at him as he stands up completely and says “Now, I'm hungry. Let's go find some food!” Before running over to the beam, jumping up onto it and leaping from its edge, falling down to the ground below. 

 

I cry out after him, watching as he falls into a hay bale in the streets. He pulls himself out of it and waved for me to follow. This tower was taller than anything we'd had in Masyaf, but the thought of falling that far and surviving was an amazing thought. I move up onto the beam, walking down before looking to where the hay bale was. 

 

I nod and stay back a bit, getting some space before running and jumping off the edge, flipping onto my back as I fell. It's was invigorating, feeling the air tug at your clothes and whip around you head. I felt almost sad when I finally hit the soft hay bale. Desmond chuckles to my left and I happily pop out of the hay bale and grin at him. He laughs and says “Come on. We missed lunch with that climb, so let's grab something akin to dinner and get back to the sanctuary.” 

 

I nod and jump out of the hay, sticking close to him as we walked. There were many more people out now that the sun was beginning to set. Desmond and I were walking patiently through the streets before he suddenly stiffens and walks into an alley, peering around the corner into the street. “Shit…” before I can ask what's wrong he says “Use your Eagle vision and tell me who you see out there.” 

 

I nod slowly and take a second to find the feeling again, my eyes and head tingling as I peer around the wall. At first it's just a mass of grays, people moving here and there before I suddenly see a bright spot of blood red. It's coming from a group of soldiers, but one in particular is brighter than the rest. I shut my Vision off and move back toward Desmond and ask “What was that?” 

 

Desmond nods and says “Soldiers glow red. All enemies do, but one was brighter than the rest wasn't it?” I nod and he says “That because he is a Templar.” I stare in horror as he pulls me away from the Templar and says “Later. I'll hunt him down later if he hurts anyone here. He may just be passing through, so let's just avoid him for now. What would you like to eat?” 

 

He keeps me close as we figure out what to eat, eventually choosing a small spot that served a variety of food. We got a large plate of flatbread filled with meat, onions, peppers, and some kind of sauce. We found a spot not far from the place and ate our food, which was amazing. I hadn't realized I was hungry until we got here. Once I was done, having eaten all of my food I was leaning against Desmond with my eyes dropping shut. 

 

I must have dozed off at some point because I feel Desmond shaking my shoulder softly and saying “Come on, let's get back.” I nodded and slowly opened my eyes and stood up. I was so tired that I clung to the belt Desmond wore as we walked through the darkening streets. He gently nudged me up the ladder to the sanctuary, letting me climb down before jumping down himself. 

 

I yawned softly as I rubbed an eye and Desmond said “Off to bed with you. Try and sleep, I'm waking you up early tomorrow.” I nodded at him as he went to go talk to the Rafik and I quietly went down to my room. I wanted a bath, but I was too tired for one. I barely remembered to pull on a set of sleep clothes before crawling into bed, barely having time to blink before I was asleep. 

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

I stepped over to the Rafik and say “You have a Templar in the city.” His head snaps up and he stares in shock. He sighs heavily and says “Damn it… despite that. Are you planning on training the boy here completely?” I shake my head. “No, I was going to be here for a little while before moving to Acre. He needs to learn the basic mannerisms of the people there. Than we're probably headed to Jerusalem.” 

 

He nods and says “Good choices. I have a small place set up for you to teach him basic knife throwing in. For whenever you think he is ready.” I nod and say “I was about to ask about that. I was going to start him on that tomorrow. I won't have him wandering around this city with me completely defenseless.” He nods slowly and says “Another apprentice here. His name is Garrick. He's training to be a guard, he can help teach your apprentice hand to hand combat.” 

 

I hum softly and say “I'll think about it. I need to get him into a free running course as well.” Our conversation lapses from there and be bids me a good night. I go into my room and quickly set it up in a way that I find habitable. I than yank off the majority of my outfit and place it in it's respective places, before pulling on a thin top and collapse across my bed my back to the door and my sword perched so I could grab it if I needed to. 

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thats this chapter, I hoped you liked it! Comment, review!


	5. Training In Damascus and The Side-Quests of Desmond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I'VE HAD A LOT TO DO.

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

I snap awake to the sound of a deep, hacking cough coming from across the hall. I sit up, listening carefully as the coughing sound filters through the walls again.  _ Altair? Dammit.  _ I stand up, pulling on my robes and mask before stepping out of my room, the Rafiq doing the same. He peers at me and says “I'll call for a doctor at first light, that doesn't sound very good.” 

 

I nod to him thankfully and knock on Altair’s door, hearing a soft “Come in?” From inside. I open the door and step inside, walking over to his bed, shutting the door behind me. He’s laying on his side under the covers, shivering and pale. “Hey… you don't feel well do you?” I say gently, rubbing his shoulder as I crouch down. He shakes his head after a moment and let's out another deep cough, making me nod.  _ He must have inhaled more water than he coughed out.  _

 

“Come on, I need you to sit up.” I say gently, urging him into a seated position. He immediately let out another deep cough, trying to hack up what was left in his lungs. I wrap an arm around him and he holds onto me, coughing and gasping for air. I rub his back and say “It's okay. Try and keep that up, whatever is making you sick needs to come out.” He clings to me and coughs, eventually hacking out something as his breathing eases. 

 

Someone knocks on the door a moment later, opening it a moment after. The Rafiq steps inside with a tray with something to eat and two drinks. I thank him softly as he sets it on the end table, leaving me with him again.  _ Okay. Based on the fact that he’s burning up, but chilled elsewhere I'd say he has a fever. That cough and his recent dip in the water means that he probably has a respiratory infection. I just have to keep him warm, hydrated, and coughing that stuff up.  _

 

I belatedly realize how late at night it is, since the moon hangs high in his window. I wrap the blanket on him around his shoulders and grab a drink, still having one arm trapped in Altair’s grasp. I look at the drink and see it's just a cup of water, something I'm grateful for. I move around and offer the cup to him, Altair shaking his head and trying to hide his face before another coughing fit takes over. 

 

After he finished trying to hack up a lung I say “You have to drink Altair.” Trying to offer the cup again as he pulls away and raspily says “But my throat hurts…” I nod and say “That's why you need to drink. It’ll help, I promise.” He makes a soft sound that I can't quite place as annoyance before shakily taking the cup and sipping it. “All of it, the more you drink and rest the sooner you’ll be better. We’ll have a doctor for you in the morning, but you’ll have to deal with me till then.” 

 

He nods as he holds onto me, relinquishing my arm in favor of drinking the water he now gulps quickly. “You were thirsty weren't you?” I ask gently, picking up the bowl and realizing that it's a soup of some kind, but it seems like a good thing for him to eat. He nods and I take the cup, handing him the bowl and saying “Try and eat that too. You’ll need energy to get better. You don't have to eat it all, but please try.” 

 

He nods and slowly starts eating, letting me get a chair and move it beside his bed, grabbing a basin as well incase he vomits. He eats maybe a third before stopping with a small grimace, handing it back to me. I set it down and patiently stand up, setting the basin beside him and saying “If you need to vomit, do so in that. I'll be right back.” He nods and pulls his blankets close to him. 

 

I step out of his room and into mine, grabbing some cleaning tools for my blades and a few books. As I step back into his room he starts coughing again, the sound better than the first time. I nod and shut the doors, walking back to my seat and sitting down beside him. I set my books down at the foot of his bed, watching him a moment before saying “Since you're sick, I'm suspending your physical training until you're better. That doesn't however mean I'm going to let you slack on your mental training.” 

 

He nods at me and gives me a tiny smile before I show him my hidden blade. “Watch closely.” I say before moving my wrist slightly back and seeing the blade spring forward, long and deadly. He stared in wonder as I say “The bracers on your arms are weighted for the hidden blade, they’ll make sure your body adjusts to the weight of them. Once you've gotten to a certain point in your training, I'll give you one. Than I'll teach you how to use it. Now tell me, what is our Creed?” 

 

He blinks a second and raspily says “Nothing it true, and everything is permitted.” I nod and ask “Do you know what that means?” He shrugs and says “Not really…” I nod again and say “Wise words. You’ll find the answer on your own one day.” He looks a little crestfallen at that but keeps quiet as I pull off my hidden blade and begin to take it apart, showing him how it works. His coughing is worrisome, but the distraction seems to help him.  _ I just hope he can kick this infection before anything really bad happens.  _

 

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**Altair POV - 5 days later**

 

I bounced where I sat, waiting anxiously for Desmond to come back. If I didn't have a fever, than I was clear to start training again. If I can start training again then I'll be closer to being an Assassin, and I'll be out of this infernal room! Desmond hadn't let me leave, making me rest and sleep sitting up for  _ days.  _ I wanted to get up and run and talk to the other people here. 

 

So I waited as Desmond stepped back into the room, giving me a hidden smile as he steps over and places a hand on my forehead. He hums a moment, watching me before saying “Okay. I  _ guess  _ you can start back training today.” I jump up in my bed and shout “YES!” Tossing my hands into the air. He laughs at my excitement, shaking his head and saying “Get ready, it's time for a run.” 

 

I jump down from my bed and rush over to my bag, hearing him leave and shut the door as I quickly change, pulling everything on and making sure it was on right before running out to him. He’s standing on the roof of the Bureau as he waits for me. I hurriedly climb up, rushing to the top of the roof with a grin. My hands ache as I pull up onto the roof, standing quickly as I grin at him. 

 

He turns around and looks out at the city, my vision following his. He motions to a flag just a building away and says “I want you to collect those with me, you’ll run first. I'll be right behind you, and you have till nightfall, since they are in a route. There's thirty of them, so keep track.” I nod and take off, getting a running start before rushing across the beam between the two buildings and grabbing the flag. It's white with the Assassin’s mark upon it. 

 

I look for a few seconds before spying the next one and running to it, and climbing the small wall up to it. I grab my second flag and start looking for the next one, running after it and jumping from roof to roof, Desmond a step behind me. After what felt like forever I finally grabbed the thirtieth flag, panting as I hand them to him. He gives an approving nod and says “Well done, you did all that in two hours. Ready to get something to eat? Than i’ll start you on something new.” 

 

I grin and nod, jumping down into a bale of hay after him, smiling as we walk through the city. Along the way he surreptitiously handed the flags off to a man in white robes as we walk over to a market vendor. The man and his wife were selling some kind of soup by the bowl, the scent of spices and herbs hung around the stall as Desmond ordered two bowls and handed me one. The couple motioned to a nearby garden and we walked over, sitting upon the stone benches. 

 

“We can eat here, I don't want to go too far.” He says, the two of us sitting between the two exits of the garden. The food tasted amazing, reminding me of the food they served at Masyaf. Once we were done we walked back to the stall, returning the bowls as the woman nodded at us, but oddly another man was there instead of the man we saw before. Desmond stiffens at the sight of it, grabbing my arm and walking is quickly back to the garden. 

 

I'm beyond confused as he grabs a small knife from the belt at his waist and hands it to me. “I'm gonna boost you up, get on the roof and get back to the bureau. Something's wrong, and I don't like it.” I nod and take the knife, Desmond showing me quickly how to keep it in my belt before picking me up. He steps up onto the bench as I hear guards shout “ASSASSIN! KILL HIM!” 

 

Within a moment I'm literally thrown up onto the roof as Desmond orders “Run!” Turning and bolting out of the garden, three guards and a man in white and red attire running after him. The red cross on his outfit makes my blood run cold.  _ He’s being chased by a Templar!  _ The fear makes me move, running along the buildings toward the Bureau, feet pounding across the sun bleached stone, only to be seen by a guard. 

 

I look at him in fear as he shouts at me, him and another guard rushing after me.  _ I can't enter the bureau being chased!  _ I run along the roof, trying to keep ahead of them while also trying to lose them. I run as fast as I can, but they are steadily gaining ground, and eventually I mess up and trip. I cry out as I fall, hitting my shoulder as my face nearly meets the roof. 

 

I try and scramble up, but I'm not fast enough, the guard grabbing the back of my robe and hoisting me up into the air. I struggle, kicking out and trying to get him to let me go. “Quit that you filthy brat! I'm-” Something in my head almost seems to snap, all the pain of people calling me names since I was old enough to remember seemed to flood my being as I grabbed the blade in my belt and twisted. I moved and with every ounce of strength I had I used to slam the blade into his arm. 

 

He screams as he let's me go, my hand hurting all of a sudden as I held onto the blade, now with both hands as my weight ripped the blade down his arm. Blood splashes across my face, gushing out of the wound as I fall to the ground again, right on my butt with the blade staying gripped in my hands. He screamed as he backed up, blood splashing upon the dried and hot roof. His partner moving toward me before letting out a choked gasp, stumbling and falling at my feet. 

 

Desmond stands behind him, rushing the second guard and hitting his back, the man letting out a choking sound and falling forward. I only belatedly realize the blood that soaks into the first guards uniform, his face frozen in a look of shock. Desmond steps over them and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet and worriedly looking me over. “You weren't hurt were you? God you're covered in blood…” I shake my head and say “N-no… it's his…” 

 

I peer down at the second guard, who laid upon his stomach while he looked away from us. The blood dripped onto the roof as Desmond pulled my arm, gently leading me off. We walk calmly for a while as I watch the blade in my hand, the blood hot and sticky as it begins to dry in the heat of the sun. Before long Desmond scooped me up suddenly and did some weird jump down into the Bureau. 

 

He gently sets me on the floor again, gently pulling my arm and turning me around. I look down as Desmond pulled the blade from my hands, him looking over them as I realize I have a large tear in my right glove. It's about an inch and a half long, cutting into my palm.  _ That's why my hand hurts…  _ Desmond suddenly ruffled my hair as my brain starts to clear as he says “It's nothing, it’ll heal before you know it. But it’ll probably scar. Still, you did well, fighting till I got here.” 

 

I nod at him as my hands shake, blood sticking my fingers together. Desmond seems to realize something's off and says “Let's wash your hands. And get something to bind that with, I need to talk to you about that.” I nod again, letting him lead me over to a basin and helping me pull off the gloves on my hands before rinsing my hand carefully. He asks the Rafiq for something that I don't catch before he pulled my now mostly clean hands from the water. 

 

Desmond says something else that I simply nod to, a quite numb feeling settling in my chest.  _ They're dead… they're dead because of me...  _ He gripped onto my hand tightly and splashed my hand with a small brown bottle. Pain arcs up my arm, making me try and yank away as he passed the bottle away. I manage to stifle the shout of pain that wanted to work up my throat, tears still drip down my face as he quickly wrapped my hand in cloth. 

 

He dries his hands on a towel they handed him as I cradle my throbbing hand close to my chest and he asks “Do you know how you hurt your hand?” I shake my hand and wipe the tears angrily from my face. “The knife slipped and cut your hand, you hit the bone in that mans arm.” I shiver at the mention of it as he says “Altair. Quit thinking they died because of you.” I look up at him, my eyes widening in shock as he says “They died because I killed them, their blood will be upon my hands. You injured him yes, but you are not the reason he's dead.” 

 

I slowly nod as he continues with “People will die in our line of work Altair, people with hopes and wishes and dreams. People who will slip from our minds and people who will haunt our dreams, every life you take will never leave you. But what we can hope is that with their deaths, we can have a world where people don't have to be killed for the stubbornness of others.” I nod again and say “I… I think I understand…” 

 

He nods at me and looks back at my gloves before saying “We’ll need a new pair of these, they should have an extra set here. Would you like to rest or continue with what I had planned?” I give him a tiny smile and say “Continue please, I'm not quite tired yet.” He nods and leads me into the back room of the bureau. This room seemed to be between our rooms and the main room. It was large, and had small targets set up across from us, along with a table with practice swords laid out upon it. 

 

Desmond nodded to the targets and said “Alright, this is what we’ll be doing for a little while. Until you can hit that target perfectly, every time.” I stare up at him in shock and exclaim “Every time? What will I even be hitting it with? Arrows?” He shakes his head and pulls a small blade from the sheath at hit waist. He holds up the blade and explains “These are throwing knives. They're weighted and balanced for throwing, meaning I can do  _ this _ .” 

 

Without even looking over to his right he flung his arm out, the knife glinting in the lamp light as it spun toward it's target, hitting the it in the dead center. It quivered as it stuck with a ‘thump’ sound. I stare in awe as he continues with “Once you get good enough, you can even hit someone with the hilt, knocking them out or making them stumble. Always useful if you're trying to catch someone with information you need. Here, feel the weight.” 

 

I took the knife, which was identical to the small blade I'd used not to long ago. It was lighter than I thought it'd be, but now that he mentioned it, it did feel balanced in my hands. He then began to show me the proper way to throw it, helping me move through the motions as I got used to it. It was at least three hours before I could even hit the target though, and even then I just nicked it. 

 

I was angry with myself, unhappy at my inability to get it. Even with my hand hurting with each throw. Desmond watched me patiently, calmly letting me walk back over to get the blade and return to my place so I can throw it again. After all of this my shoulder and arm started hurting from the same move over and over. When I wince once while moving my arm he simply says “I think that's enough for now. I think you can start sparring with the other apprentices here.” 

 

I look up at him as he turns and begins to leave before saying “Stay here.” I nod as I see the edge of his robe swish out the door. He returns within ten minutes, the other three apprentices at trailing behind him with two other mentors. Desmond motions toward the center of the room and says “I shall be working with Tramir to show you a simple defensive move. You'll have to master this before you can move on, as it's the basis for many other moves.” 

 

One of the two mentors, an older male with the beginnings of graying hair within his long beard nods and begins to step over to the middle of the room before the second man, who has a short trimmed mustache that appeared to be well kept says “ _ My _ apprentice is far past that. I don't think I should hold him back while you bring these  _ younglings  _ up to speed.” 

 

I can already feel the disapproving look that Desmond is giving the man, and he isn't even looking at me. “Ophir, hold your tongue. Even I know to treat Desmond with respect, especially since he's choosing to allow our apprentices to train with his. I have heard good things about this boy, something I can't say for yours.” Tramir pointedly states, glancing at the largest boy here, who looked like he was built like the stories of trolls Malik's mother would tell us.

 

He was obviously a few years older than the rest of us, and stood nearly a head over me. He looked angry at the other mentors, and I noticed that he had an actual apprentice blade instead of a training blade, like the other two apprentices. His robes however marked him as a courier, like his mentor as I now notice. The other two had on assassins robes, but looked to be about a year older then me. 

 

Desmond calmly holds up a hand and says “Feel free to remove your apprentice from this. I will not stop you, but be aware of the knowledge you could be keeping from him.” He simply glared at Desmond before sighing through his nose and watching Desmond nod before walking over to what I now see is a roughly etched circle. Desmond draws his blade, and I see the other two apprentices move a little closer. 

 

Tramir does the same as he falls into a stance like Desmond's, waiting for a signal of some kind. It came in the form of a very tiny nod before Tramir swung his blade at Desmond from above, making a powerful strike down. Desmond gripped his blade carefully with one hand and gently sidestepped, using his blade to deflect the blade stroke to his left, and off balancing Tramir. He caught himself and pulled away as Desmond says “It takes energy to completely block a hit, and it can lock you in a stalemate with your opponent.” 

 

He faced us and showed us how he moved again, letting us see that the whole move seemed to make him almost dance away from his opponent. “You will not always be able to defeat your opponent with strength. Especially if you're fighting more than one. This block will let you get close enough to do a killing or dilapidating blow.” I tilt my head to the side and openly ask “What does dilapidating mean?” 

 

Desmond nods and easily answers “To allow something to fall into disrepair or ruin. Anyone else have a question?” The rest of them shake their heads as Desmond has us all draw our practice blades and has the other apprentice collect one from the table. He paired us up and had us start on the move, one swinging like Tramir and one of us blocking like Desmond did. I liked the move that Desmond showed us, the way it let us let the blow glance away from us was almost calming. 

 

I was a little happy that he’d paired me up with one of the boys that was a year ahead of me, instead of the tallest boy. After we had apparently reached whatever point Desmond seemed acceptable both of my arms ached, as he made us practice with both arms. I just wanted a nap, any thoughts of what happened today was muddled with tiredness as he gently lead me out and passed a bowl of food to me while the others did the same. 

 

I ate quickly, Desmond ruffling my hair before saying “Off to bed with you. I don't want to make you sick again.” I nod tiredly before make my way over there, barely remembering where my room is as I walk in and yank off my uniform as I shut the door. I pull on the far lighter sleep clothes that I have before laying sideways across my bed, not even bothering to cover up under the warm blankets before falling asleep, thoughts far from the death I saw today.

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

**(AN: We will have an area of this that deals with spousal abuse and beating more than one character of mine. You have been warned.)**

 

I hide a smile as he tiredly walks to his room, I know I'd pushed him a good bit today. However my mood darkens as the thoughts of the run in with the Templar I had today.  _ What on earth would one of them be doing in Damascus? The third crusade doesn't start for a few years more.  _ I hum as I turn and gently walk into the main room, gaining the attention of Tramir as he nods at me and says “I heard. I'm having an old friend do some investigating. So far, I have no news. But I should soon.” 

 

I cross my arms and stare down at the floor for a moment before saying “I'm going to go do some digging myself. If I'm not back by dawn make sure Altair starts on his throwing knives again.” Tramir starts at my words and hastily replies “Already? He is a little young for that don't you think?” I shake my head and state “I want him to have the ability to kill from a distance. He's not strong enough to use a bow or powerful enough to use a sword in close combat. With this he’ll have the distance to stay safe as he grows stronger.” 

 

He seems thoughtful a moment before humming. “Perhaps my apprentices shall join him as well. They're a quick pair, I'm sure they’ll be happy to have someone to work with.” I nod before turning and walking to my room, opening the door and grabbing my bow and quiver, shutting my door behind me. I secure my quiver in place as I walk, ensuring it won't shift to much as I run. 

 

I sling my bow into place as well as I walk past Tramir and climb out of the Bureau and into the beautiful twilight cloaked city.  _ Perfect. I can go meet an old… friend? I think that's what she counts as.  _ I start running across roofs and jumping over alleys and rushing past guards, ducking out of sight quickly. Once I reach the building I want I jump down from the roof and roll to break my fall. 

 

I dust myself off and walk out into the street, and into a rather large building. A few drunk men stumbled out of the building, purses far lighter now than they were before, but happy grins on their faces. As I step through the door the scent of sex and alcohol lingers under the far stronger scent of spices and gently burning wood in the fireplace. The room is lavishly decorated in plush rugs and comfortable looking pillows. 

 

It's also sectioned off with beautifully painted screens of wood and fabric to provide small amount of privacy for those who sit down. And to hide the walls, whenever they aren't covered in warmly colored cloth and gently burning candles. I notice more than one woman attached to the arm of her client, batting her lashes and coyly listening to his woes. 

 

A few well paid guards are stationed near the door, watching the girls carefully. The girls themselves are covered in beautiful fabric, sometimes with slits in them to show parts themselves in a seductive manner. The guards stiffen at the sight of my bow and glare at me menacingly, a look I shrug off and quietly to the leftmost guard say “I must speak to Nadia, if she's in. Tell her an old friend in is town.” He watches me warily and nods to another guard before he walks off and the guard leads me to a far back screened area. 

 

The upper level is for well paying clients who don't want their faces to be shown amongst the men here. Those with money and wives who would be  _ very _ angry should they hear of a husband's infidelity. It also has private rooms for those with some performance problems. I calmly sit down upon the rugs and lean against a pillow, not caring as the guard stations himself at the left side of the screen or the soft moaning of the pair a screen away. 

 

A few moments later a young girl with pitch black hair and clothed in a deep red dress cautiously walks in with a small tray laying against against her stomach. She looks barely fifteen, And this was obviously her first night here, or first night around actual clients. She bows to me and while making an effort to steady her voice she hesitantly asks if there was anything I would like to drink. I hum a moment and say “No, I'm quite alright for the moment. Thank you for asking.” 

 

She nods and bows again, quietly exiting and padding softly on bare feet to another area. I barely wait another minute before Nadia makes an appearance, looking just as breathtaking as I had remembered. She had long black hair that she kept pinned into place with a jeweled pins that matched the deep sapphire color of her dress, which complemented the lovely figure she was so proud of. 

 

She smiles at me and sits beside me, crossing her legs elegantly as she leans back against a pillow. The girl makes a reappearance as Nadia gently says “Wine for me. The red one that's in the back. And you my friend?” I shake my head as the girl quickly rushes off to follow her request. “Rather young yes?” I say as she makes herself comfortable. She smiles at me and says “Safiyya is just learning now. She needs the confidence we can give her before I let her anywhere near a client. And I want her to be older as well, however lovely she may be.” 

 

I nod as she looks at me and quietly questions “I however am rather curious as to why you have graced me with your presence once again. It's been what? A year now?” I chuckle and reply “I am here to ask for the information that your lovely ladies have always had a knack for collecting.” She hums at me, thinking a moment before looking sharply at me and saying “I'll have them answer any question you have,  _ but.  _ You will have to do something for me.” 

 

I raise an eyebrow, whatever it is must mean a lot for her to use that tone with me of all people. She stands as the girl returns with the wine she requested. She takes the cup from the tray and thanks the girl and motions for me to stand. “Follow me a moment.” I nod and stand, follow her up to the back of the room, father past the thick curtains and into an area that was obvious for personal use for the girls. A few very pregnant girls cooked some food or made drinks for the clients. 

 

However she leads me back farther to a large plush room with pillows and blankets, meant for the girls to sleep and interact. She leads me to a girl who nurses a spot on her face. I feel my anger spike as I see the obvious bruises on her arms. “Rayhana came to me less than two hours ago, bruised and beaten. I want the man who did this to never raise a hand to another one of my girls. Regardless of how you make this happen, I want others to know  _ why _ .” Nadia says angrily, rage making her clench her hands and glare at me. 

 

I gently move around her and sit across from Rayhana, she flinches sharply as I do, and I hold up both hands in a placating gesture. She watches me warily, moving a little closer to Nadia as I say “I will not touch you, but if you would allow it, I would like to see your wounds. You don't have to, but it would be helpful to me.” She shakes her head at me and I nod in acceptance, standing once more and gently motioning Nadia away. 

 

“Give me a name. I don't know what happened between those two, but he shouldn't have hit her.” She nods and replies “I agree. His name was Gilead Nagi. He was a little shorter than I am and a mean drunk. I left orders with my girls to severely limit his drinking whenever he was here, so he started coming in drunk. I contemplated throwing him out, but he never hurt anyone before this, so I had no reason till now. But with this he went way too far.” 

 

I nod sharply before turning around and striding away, leaving the building without a second thought and headed toward the nearest place to buy wine and beer at cheap prices. I step softly up to the vendor, hearing people talk happily about wives or friends. I pull two silver coins from my pouch and gently set it on the table, watching the vendors eyes light up upon seeing it. 

 

“One coin, and you tell me where I can find Gilead Nagi, two coins and you never saw me here.” I say softly as I lean against the table. The vendor grins and says “You’ll find him one street down, just listen for the angry shouting. He’s a loud drunk, you’ll have no trouble finding him.” I nod and release my grip on the coins and turn away, watching him swipe them off the table and begin a conversation with the next man to stumble up to the bar in the now completely night cloaked city. 

 

_ Must be nearly eleven.  _ My footsteps are soft as I quietly make my way past yawning guards making their last rounds through the city, easily hearing the sounds of shouting. As I get closer I see a house with the lights still lit despite the time, and see the door still open. I quietly slip closer, listening to what’s being said. “I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW PATHETIC YOU'RE BEING. GET UP YOU STUPID WOMAN. I SAID  _ GET UP _ .” I hear what sounds like someone being slapped and decide I’ve heard enough. 

 

I peek around the door and see a little kid, barely five being held closely by a softly crying woman. She had a red mark on her cheek, and a fading bruise on her neck. Gilead looked like he was barely drunk to me, standing steady and angry. “GET UP YOU PATHETIC BITCH.” He shouts, and I feel it's time to intervene. I stride purposefully into the room and kick him in the back of the leg, causing it to buckle under his weight. 

 

He curses as I slam my elbow into his shoulder and send him careening to the floor. He curses as he slams into the floor, and I grab my bow and nock an arrow, aiming carefully at his chest as I hold it at full draw. I know it makes for a very terrifying picture as everyone goes silent. His entire face pales as he tries inching back away from me, holding up both hands in a fearful attempt to keep me from shooting him. 

 

“You so much as twitch, and you’ll have an arrow in you. Am I clear?” He shakily says “Y-Yes…” I nod and look over enough to have both him and his wife in my sight. “Are you alright? And your child?” She nods slowly with an almost relieved expression, pulling the child closer. Now that I have a better view, I see that it's a little girl, who looks just as afraid as her mother. “I won't hurt you, I’m just here for him.” I add gently, watching her relax slightly. 

 

Gilead shows more anger at that statement, snapping “Why do you care about the filthy little slut? She only got what she deserved. Why are you even here? To scare me? Like hell that will happen.” He moves then, moving to stand and I adjust my aim to his lower arm and fire, the arrow slamming through his arm and burying itself into the wood below him. I hear the two people behind me cry out in surprise as he screams in pain. 

 

“I said ‘if you so much as twitch you’ll have an arrow in you.’ Test me again, Gilead Nagi, and you won't walk away from this. Now I want you to think back to a few hours ago, when you went into a whore house. You beat a young girl named Rayhana, and unlike your wife she leads a very expensive life. And with that comes people who will happily  _ kill you  _ to make her happy again.” I calmly state as I pull another black feathered arrow from my quiver and nock it on the string. 

 

Now he honestly looks terrified as he watches me, not even daring to breathe loudly as I pull my bow back. “You will  _ never  _ drink again. You will  _ never  _ step inside that place again, nor shall you speak to another girl who works there. Because next time it won't me who comes knocking on your door, and you won't be breathing after they leave. You will however tell people  _ exactly why you have that wound.  _ Or I’ll give you another.” 

 

He nods rapidly as tears start dripping down his face from the pain. I nod back and relax my grip on my bow, replacing my arrow within my quiver. I place my bow on my back before I slam my boot on his arm, making him scream again as I rip my arrow from his arm. I remove my boot as he cowers away from me, cradling his profusely bleeding arm against his chest. I step over to the table and grab a cloth and wipe off my arrow, placing it back in my quiver. 

 

I turn to his wife and offer her a hand, gently helping her to her feet as she holds her small daughter close, obviously afraid of me. I give her space and ask “Do you wish to stay here?” She blinks at me in shock as I say “I can take you from here, and you’ll never have to look at him again. Ever. You’ll have a safe place to raise her, should you choose. Or I could accompany you to the home of a family member.” 

 

She had such a relieved smile that I almost smiled back at her. “My brother lives in the middle district and never really liked my marriage to Gilead… He should take me in.” I nod to her and say “Then pack your things and I shall accompany you.” She nods back and walks into the back of the house, grabbing out a large basket and quickly carrying it upstairs. Within a few rather loud minutes as she rushed around she carried the basket back down with her small daughter following her. 

 

They both looked far more relaxed as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed down important items, packing them carefully, adding food and any toys her daughter came up to her with. As she tied off the top I walked over and lifted it, easily holding the weight. She smiled at my thankfully before wrapping her daughter in a warm blanket before picking her up. Her husband seems to have passed out from the pain in his arm, but seems to be alive as I lead her out. 

 

It took us over an hour to walk through the streets to get to her brothers, but it was worth it to see her relax as she was finally free of that pathetic man. When we reach her brothers home I knock heavily on the door, waking the people within. He comes running to the door, shirtless as he looks at us in confusion. 

 

She quietly explains that she has left her husband, and asks if he will allow her to remain with him. He looks confused as to why she would leave him and I say “Look at her neck.” He blinks at me and peers at her neck, seeing the old hand print. The anger that clouds his face was understandable as I continue with “I doubt he’ll be hitting anyone for the time being. But I didn't want to leave her there, especially not with the little girl she has as well.” 

 

He nods and takes the large basket that I carry and ushers them within. I bow to him and bid them a good night, the little girl shouting goodbye after me as I wave and begin making my way back to Nadia.  _ I’m rather glad I injured that fucker, he deserved it.  _ It takes me less time to make it back to Nadia, since I could run across the roofs by moonlight and slip past guards. Before long I was walking back through her door. 

 

I didn't even have to ask for her this time, as she was grabbing my arm and dragging me to the back before I’d even said a single word. She stopped once we were away from her clients and  stared at me as I smiled and said “I doubt his right arm will ever work the same way again. Now, I needed some information from you.” She nods and says “Ask anything my friend, and my girls and I shall find it for you.” I grin at her and ask “What do you know of a soldier wearing white with a red cross?” 

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s where we end for today! I’m sorry this took me so long to update. I’ve had a lot to do over the last few months. I hope this does make up for it though.


	6. Of Templars and Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I know it's been a while but I had to make sure this came out right, for a variety of reasons. I however do have a large disclaimer, there will be the (slightly graphic) depictions of childbirth. I tried not to make it to graphic or anything, but just putting that out there, as it is from Altair’s POV. I have very specific reasons for him being with Desmond during it, and they’ll explained next chapter. Anyway, off we go!

 

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**Desmond POV**

 

Unsurprisingly, Nadia knew a good bit about both him and the men with him. He’s traveling in a group of twenty men, and was currently making his way through Damascus and headed on to Jerusalem. He would only be here for three more days, and were to meet up with another group in Acre. 

 

“If you stay here till dawn, I’ll have the girl he kept with him tonight speak to you. She’s a sweet girl, and has the lighter hair color that he seems to favor. His name was Sador, at least that’s what he told Ophelia to moan. So that either his name or he finds another name on her lips appealing.” She says as she carefully sips at the cup of wine in her hand, the two of us sitting in the far back of the house. 

 

Nadia gently pet the hair of Rayhana beside her as she slept. Gilead had done quite a bit of damage to her, and the bruises would take weeks to heal. I sigh heavily as I nod and say “I guess I can stay for the time being, however I will have to leave not long after that. I do have a reason for being in this city.” 

 

She hums softly as one of the women who had been cooking steps away from the stove and sits down heavily upon the pillows nearby, rubbing a worried hand over her belly. “Jasmine, whats wrong? Are you alright?” Nadia worriedly asks, setting her cup down as her hand freezes in the girls hair.

 

Jasmine’s face pinches in slight pain before she says “I think so… I just need a moment… Just a small cramp I think…” I watch her carefully, thinking back as far as I can to the medical class I took on the farm. It's been so many years but I do remember the two week course that they made us take on Birth, along with a few things my ancestors learned throughout their lives. She carefully arranges herself so she’s leaning back more before she relaxes a bit. 

 

After she relaxes I ask her “Has this happened before?” She nods and states “Yes, about thirty minutes ago. And again around thirty minutes before that. It's… Odd. It's only briefly painful before it vanishes, but this one is just lasting longer than the last one…” I hum as I think that over, watching her carefully as I turn to Nadia and softly speculate “There’s a small chance she may be about to go into labor. So you may want to watch her carefully.” 

 

She nods in acknowledgement and replied “I’ve been worried about that for a week now… Unfortunately our midwife isn't nearby, so if she does it’ll be at least two hours before anyone can come look at her… I’ve lost girls and their babies before due to the Midwife not getting here fast enough, I don't want to lose her too…” 

 

I quietly stand and walk over to Jasmine, sitting to her right. She gives me a tiny smile as I gently question “Is this your first?” She shakes her head, hand tensing as she murmurs “No… This will be my second… I lost my first to sickness. She didn't even make it to her first birthday, but I have a good feeling about this one.” She brightens slightly and softly coos out “I could feel them kicking earlier, and they kick harder than my little Suha did. And I’ve taken care to eat better also. Nadia has helped as well, taking me in after my family threw me out.”

 

I nod and smile slightly at her, the girl looked barely eighteen, yet she already had a child before. I notice she has a small red ribbon braided into her dark brown hair, which goes well with the white and red dress she wears. Nadia gently steps over as well, smiling softly and saying “She showed up on our doorstep, shivering in the night and crying her eyes out. Scared the daylights out of the guards, which lead to me taking her in.” 

 

I nod with a tiny smile, knowing it had to hurt like hell for her family to reject her like that.  _ Another thing I don't like about these times… but at least I won't have to see Juno again for a long fucking time.  _ Nadia and Jasmine speak back and forth for a time as the time steadily passes, the sun slowly peeking out from behind the clouds as some girls begin to filter back here, or exit to a wash room to clean up and change. 

 

Before long Nadia had seen Ophelia and waved the chestnut brown haired girl over and patted the cushions beside her. Ophelia sat down and stretched delicately, the green dress she wore shifting as she rubbed one of her legs carefully. “Tell him what you can about Sador.” Nadia says, passing her the cup of wine she still has. Ophelia looks at me and gives me a appraising look, eyes rapidly taking in my form. 

 

“He was bigger than you, and heavier. Even without most of his armor on he was heavy with muscle. His hair was dark, like Nadia’s, and he spoke with a thick French accent. I couldn't half understand him sometimes. He never let his sword be far away, always within arms reach, and he complained about the captain he was to meet in Acre. Apparently he's been promoted recently in his group and more than one soldier is angry about it, saying that maybe he got the promotion by being on his knees. Which I've seen happen before, but rarely with men.” She admitted, taking a sip from her cup. 

 

I hum in acceptance and press “Anything else? Even the littlest thing could be a great help.” Her brow furrows with thoughtfulness as she takes another sip, thinking a moment before adding “He and his men are all staying in the rich district, but he takes a walk around lunch every day to the poor district to meet someone. Then he returned to his men before he comes here after the sun sets.” I nod and thank her, earning a smile before she excuses herself and I bid both Nadia and Jasmine a farewell. 

 

I quietly exit through the front door just before the guards switch shifts. Most of the girls are only awake in the evening and night, but there are a few who work during the daytime, meaning that this place never really closes. Something I know more than a few people are very thankful for. As I walk out of the door I see the shiny reflection of metal on a nearby roof.  _ I'm being watched…  _ I calmly walk down the streets and see that vendors are setting up their wares and people are steadily waking up, making food and other things. 

 

I go ahead and take a run, sprinting down the streets and climbing over things until I was panting from exertion. Once I was happy with the amount I’d done and sure that I outran anyone who may have been following me I made my way over to the Bureau and hopped down into the main room. I see Altair and the three other apprentices talking quietly as they eat. Altair brightens considerably when he sees me, handing his food to the largest boy and rushing over to me. “Where were you? Did you find anything? What happened? Why were you gone so long? Why-” 

 

I laugh softly and say “Slow down Altair, one question at a time. I took a walk last night to find something out about our resident Templar. I did find something but it took a while to collect because-” I stop talking as I hear someone scoff. I half turn, glaring coldly at Ophir as he grins at me. He's wearing his normal attire for that of a courier, but his attire looks dusty and a little scuffed. 

 

“You were in a whore house for the last five hours, why would you even lie to the poor boy?” He says confidently, and I notice that Altair looks at me with confusion. I hum softly and question “Since you know where I was, why don't you tell me why you were _watching_ me? I thought you were hunting for information on the Templar?” He stiffens softly as I speak and I continue with “Since you are apparently trying to prove that I don't know what I’m doing, please tell us what _you_ learned.” 

 

He grinds his teeth and mutters out “My informants are usually more… Enthusiastic with the information they have. I found little on the Templar.” I hum in acceptance and reply “That is why I always strive to have my own contacts,” I ruffle Altair’s hair and add, “That way you can always tell if the information is true. It also makes you more independent, with more freedoms than a normal Assassin.” Altair looks up at me with an almost excited expression. 

 

_ He has always loved freedom. He’s loved making his own choices and deciding where he goes. If I’m lucky, this will start to show him that the couriers don't always know everything, but to listen to them nonetheless.  _ He nods at me, Ophir looking a little angry as I continue speaking to him by adding “I found out quite a bit while you were watching me. Would any of you care to hear it? Or shall we wait for you?” 

 

I see him grimace in distaste as Tramir nods and affirmed “If you wouldn't mind Desmond, it would be a good thing to have your information, not even my contact could gather much, other than there are quite a few of them.” I nod at him and responded with “His name is Sador, he’s here with a group of twenty men headed to Jerusalem, and will stop in Acre on the way to group up with more Templars. Apparently more than one of them dislike the man there meeting up with.” 

 

The others nod along as Altair asks “Why don't they like him?” I hum and answer “Well, they think he got the position by doing some rather unsavory things.” He nods while the others digest this information, after a few minutes Tramir finally commented “I think we should keep the Apprentices within our walls unless accompanied by an Assassin. I don't want to think about what would happen if one were to be caught.” 

 

Ophir and I agree with nods as I add “Altair and I have to go on a run, and do a few things outside of here. Despite the obvious danger, I can’t have him slip any further on his training.” Tramir placatingly states “Then my apprentices and I shall accompany you. I hear your free running courses are nothing to be trifled with.” I chuckle out “I see Hasib has yet to let it rest that he fell into a mud pit while trying the course I set up for him and his apprentice at the end of their training.” 

 

The others chuckle softly, even Ophir as the children around us giggle and I add “He looked like a slug as he crawled out of the mud, not a single inch of his uniform spared! I almost didn't recognize him as he walked back to the castle, he made the guards think that mud monsters existed for a month from how he growled and marched by them!” I smile at the sounds of laughter I get from them all.  _ Now that's a sound I could live in.  _

 

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Altair POV**

 

I hold my stomach as I laugh, the others in the same situation. Every time I got even close to stopping I think of someone like Aslam marching back to through the gates of Masyaf, dripping in mud and began laughing again. It's at least two minutes before I’ve stopped laughing, yet the Rafiq had walked in, smiling and asking “What on earth caused all this ruckus?” I snicker at the thought as Desmond tells the story again, causing more laughter. 

 

He laughed deeply and shook his head, shoulders shaking from his laugh. Eventually he laughed out “That’s something you should tell again tonight. Speaking of tonight, we’ll have the families of two couriers making there way through Damascus. They shall be rejoining their husbands within Masyaf, but need a night's rest within our walls. So be ready for a few children to make an appearance today.” 

 

I get more then a bit excited at the thought of meeting more people, especially if they were gonna be kids. “I’ll be happy to tell a story or two tonight. Everyone loves a good story, especially tired kids.” Desmond answers before adding “Now let's get going! We’ve got a run to do.” Turning on his heel in a spin of fabric and scales the wall within seconds. I grin and race after him, hearing the others do the same. I happily pull myself to the top first, Caspian and Thamir chose behind. 

 

Tramir isn't far behind, easily pulling his body up onto the roof. Desmond nodded at us and announced “Because there are five of us, and quite a few Templar affiliated soldiers, were gonna do things a bit differently. I’m going to go first, like we did in Masyaf, and you’ll follow me. Tramir would you mind taking the rear and watching our backs?” Tramir nods and answers “It would be a pleasure.” 

 

Desmond hums in acceptance before ordering “Stretch, you’ll regret it if you don't later.” I nod and begin going through the stretches he showed me, Caspian and Thamir following and we get into a contest for who can stretch the farthest. Tramir gets in on it and, while standing, bends over and touches his toes without any trouble, beating all of us as we could barely brush them still. Desmond chuckled and got our attention before doing the same move as Tramir, only he put both  _ palms  _ on the ground between his feet. 

 

We stare in shock as he adds “Practice. I’ve been working on that for the last few years of my life. You’ll be surprised how much flexibility can help you. Now.” he pivots once more on his heel, turning in such away it made the tail of his robes flare out and brush against my leg before adding “Let's go!” He began to run off. I scramble up and rush after him, watching as he races across a beam. 

 

I watch as he crouched down just enough for fix his balance, while still keeping up with a faster pace. I copy his move, crouching down and racing across, grinning when I don't fall. He scaled a wall, pulling himself up over the edge before looking back down at us. I brace my foot on the barrel I notice nearby and jump as high as I can, barely managing to grab onto the ledge. I add my other hand and pull myself up to the top, kicking with my feet as I do so. I pant as I reach the top, that having cost more energy than I expected. 

 

Desmond gives an approving nod as the other two climb up with less effort than I did, Tramir on our tail as he turns and races off again, leaping across beams and landing on the first one lightly, turning to watch us. I grit my teeth and practically skid to a stop, looking over the space.  _ I can't quite make that, Desmond had to leap and caught it on his toes practically… I’ll have to go around.  _ I see the other two are thinking it over as Tramir looks worried. I turn to the side, seeing that both buildings go up one more floor before going back down in one building block. 

 

_ I can climb that and jump down!  _ I smile race over to that as I see one of the others put some space between them and the beams. I guess they're trying to get a running start. I ignore them and scramble up the wall, thankful for the rings for lanterns they had placed there. I make it to the roof and run across, jumping off and tumbling to break my fall. I run by the beams as I think Caspian tried to jump it, missing by an inch and falling, barely catching with his fingers. 

 

Desmond snatched him up, holding him carefully before jumping back to the roof and handing Tramir the shaking boy. Tramir looks at Desmond and angrily asks “You had to have known he wouldn't make that. Why didn't you stop him?” Desmond answers with “It was supposed to make them think around it. Altair realized he couldn't make it, and climbed the building beside it, see?” He motions toward me, Tramir finally seeing me across the gap. 

 

He blinked in shock as Desmond adds “I tried to show them both that there is never only one path. I never would have let him come to harm, I thought he would have seen that he couldn't. I apologize for that. Would you like to return?” Caspian pulled out of the hold and shakily stood, shaking his head and snapped “I’m fine! Let's keep on.” He looks around before moving over to another building and leaving my sight. 

 

Desmond leaps across the beams, Tramir following and commenting “I doubt he will forget your lesson for many years. If ever. I apologize for acting rashly, you were smart to show them that.” Desmond nods and walks over to me, ruffling my hair and approvingly started “I’m happy you thought your way around it. And it's fine Tramir, you care deeply for the both of them, that's all.” I can't keep the happy grin off my face as he starts running again, the others tumbling down and following. 

 

I run at his heels, a little proud at his comment as I try and keep up. He easily stayed ahead of us, but the other two were easily faster than I was, so I was starting to strain to keep up. We climbed, jumped, tumbled and sprinted for the next ten minutes, meaning I was panting and trying not to clutch at the stitch developing in my side. Finally we stopped, landing down on the ground in an alley, only Desmond and Tramir not panting and clutching at various pains. 

 

My feet hurt, my shoulders hurt from tumbling as I landed, my legs hurt from running for so long, even my  _ chest  _ hurt from breathing so deeply. I wanted to dip into the salt pools in Masyaf, but as he let us rest everything steadily dulled down into a small but ever present ache. After a few moments more my chest stopped hurting as Desmond chuckled out “Ready to run again? Or would you like to walk a little?” Tramir instead answered for us by stating “I think a few minutes on the ground would do them good. Come, were almost out of the poor district.” 

 

We nod and follow them as they exit, Desmond taking the rear this time. We stick to the markets, which are filled with people, since it was almost midday at this point. My feet still ache, but the rest of me is thankful for the slower pace. Before long though I see a girl running headlong down the street, her soft green dress billowing out around her, her black hair braided behind her. Desmond bolted after her, noting how panicked she looks. He catches her easily, the rest of us following him. “What’s happened? Is Nadia okay?” Desmond quickly asks. 

 

The girl pants a moment before panting out “Jasmine went into labor! Nadia is with her, she sent me to get the midwife.” Desmond nods sharply and states “Alright. I’ll head to her and so what I can do. Altair, you're with me. Tramir, I’ll see you back at the Bureau later.” Tramir nods and quickly leads his two apprentices off, Desmond letting her go so she can keep running at a breakneck pace. 

 

“Come on, we’ve got to make sure she’s okay. That midwife will take time, and that’s something we may not have.” He rushed before half running through the crowd with me at his heels.  _ What’s so worrying? A baby can’t be this worrying, can it?  _ We rush through the streets, suddenly stopping at a small bar.  **(AN: Distilled Alcohol didn't come around until the 1200’s. I’m gonna fudge the time a touch and have it appear sooner for Antiseptic reasons.)**

 

Desmond steps up to the Merchant running it and asks “Give me your strongest, purest alcohol.  _ Now _ .” The man, noticing how Desmond half growled out the last word snatched out a large bottle from under his bar. He set it on the top of the heavy wooden bar and stated “One gold. It's my last bottle, and my next shipment isn't for a week.” Desmond grabbed it and passed the gold coin and turned, rushing from the area, making me nearly sprint to keep up. 

 

Before long were at a large building, which had a few people within. The most surprising was the scent, it had the faint scent of wine and a stronger one of incense and candles. However, it had another scent underneath that, one I couldn't place but decided wasn't very pleasant. The place was however beautifully decorated, lush rugs and curtains adorning the walls. There were areas with pillows that were sectioned off with delicately patterned screens. Desmond ignored all of this and marched back toward the curtained wall. 

 

Desmond passed the guard, who nodded like he knew him and pulled the curtain back. As he did, it removed whatever barrier was between us and the rest of the building as I hear soft whimpers from within. Desmond hurries forward as I follow him closely, not sure of what to do. We walk by a kitchen like area before into a larger area with pillows, rugs, and blankets. It looks lush and comfortable, before I notice what has everyone worried. 

 

A woman in a red and white dress leans back against a pillow to the right of the room, facing the left wall with her legs propped up with sweat dripping down her brow. She has another woman to her side, this one in red with black hair, clasping her left hand as she squeezes it tightly. She whimpers again, obviously in pain as Desmond rushed over, a woman in blue looks up at him. She moves from her place between the womans propped up legs. 

 

“Desmond!” She breathes out in curiosity as she stands. “What on earth are you doing here?” He sighs and explained “I’m here to help Nadia. This isn't the first birth I’ve had to help in, and I doubt it’ll be the last. If you want me to, I can get her through this while we wait for the midwife. If not I’ll leave and wait for you to tell me when it's okay.” I move closer and stand beside him as I nod, a little afraid of what’s happening and why she’s in so much pain, but wanting to help her nonetheless. Nadia blinks at him a moment before turning to the woman on the floor and asking “Jasmine? It’s up to you, do you want him to help?” 

 

Jasmine pants in pain as she grips the hand she’s holding tightly a moment while taking tiny breaths before growling out “Let him help if he can… God it hurts…” Desmond drops down immediately and positions himself where Nadia was and states “Okay, I’m going to have to touch you, is that alright?” She nods sharply before hissing in pain. “Altair, run over and grab me a cup of water. Get her to drink it alright?” He suddenly orders me. 

 

I jump and nod, rushing to do as told. It was slightly scary to see all this, and hear how much pain she was in. There were other women in the room, but many of them simply waited to be told to help. “Nadia, I need at least one of them to start boiling water. Were going to need it, and soon. Tell them to wash the bandages in it before hanging them on something to dry.” He orders again, adjusting himself so that he’s looking at her belly. She nods and rushed to do as told. 

 

I grab and fill a cup with water from a small pitcher nearby, walking over to her and offering the cup. She cries out in pain suddenly, making me jump. She whimpers for a few seconds more before relaxing back to heavy panting. I quietly offer the cup to her, watching her take it and sip at it, draining it after a minute and handing it back. “Altair, come here a moment.” I do so, standing to his right. 

 

He unclasped the two bracers on his arms, and I know at least one of them is a hidden blade. But looking at them I couldn't tell which. He pulls a small square of fabric from his belt and ties them up in it, forming a small bag and softly saying “Tie this to your belt. I don't want anyone messing with them.” I nod and so as I’m told, watching him tuck his gloves into his belt before pushing up both his sleeves to the elbow. 

 

On his left arm was a beautiful amount of black markings that wrapped around his arm. I couldn't see the full extent of it but I did see the Assassin’s symbol mixed within it. I’d never seen anything like it, the marks swirling beautifully across his skin.  _ I’ll have to ask later. _ He looks up again and asks “Grab me a bowl, a large one.” I turn back to the kitchen, Nadia grabbing a bowl from a cupboard and passing it down to me. I bring it over and he uncorks the bottle he brought and pours some of it into his hand. 

 

He wiped his hands down in alcohol, much to my confusion. The strong scent making me wrinkle my nose as the excess splashed into the bowl. He takes it then and adds “Sit beside her, she’ll need help and comfort. This is only going to get more painful and messy, so I need you to keep a level head and hand me the things I need. I’ll have Nadia here as well, but I can’t have you panicking. You’ll only worry her.” I nod shakily, more than slightly afraid of this getting worse. 

 

He gives me a hidden smile before turning back to his task, looking at her belly before asking “Do you know what these are called?” She shakes her head before whimpering again, the pain picking up. “Alright, that pain you're feeling is called contractions. It mean’s your body is getting ready to give birth to the little one in your belly. Now I need you to take deeper, but sharper breaths. Like this,” He demonstrated the breathing pattern, “It’ll make it easier. Try and count how long between the beginning of one contraction and the start of the next okay?” 

 

She nods slowly, sweating profusely as someone walks over and places a tray of towels down on the rug beside us. Desmond gently touches her stomach, feeling for something I guess. He hummed approvingly and asked “The last time your baby kicked, you felt like they were kicking your ribs right?” She nodded again and panted out “Yes, it was an odd one, and painful.” I blink and suddenly blurt out “Wait, babies kick!?” 

 

Desmond snorts softly, Jasmine laughing lightly and saying “Yes little one. Babies kick, though each is different. Here,” She gently took my hand and placed it on the top left of her belly, “Feel.” I wait a moment, nothing happening before a bump suddenly comes from  _ inside  _ her belly. I let out a very surprised, but very manly, squeak. Desmond chuckled as Jasmine smiled, grimacing in pain again before softly added “This one is a very active little one, I’m happy you’ll be able to meet them.” 

 

I nod with a tiny smile, still worried about how it's going to get from in her belly to out here, but having faith that Desmond can help until a midwife gets here. I remember the first time my dad explained where the babies I saw came from, most he said I’d learn when I was older, however he did explain that the woman would grow them in her belly until they were ready to see the world. He didn't go into exactly  _ how  _ that happened but I guess I was about to find out. 

 

The next hour passed in a blur of her whimpering and crying out, sometimes screaming, with Desmond asking questions, occasionally I helped her get her breathing back on track. Mostly I sat there and tried to help, but mostly felt useless. Desmond stayed calm through all of it, not even blinking an eye to any of the pain and sudden amounts of  _ fluid  _ that came from somewhere and coated his hands. 

 

Before long the girl I had seen earlier came rushing back, panting as she held onto a counter and clung to her side. “Faiza! Where is the midwife?” Nadia hurriedly asks from the place she had taken beside Desmond. She shook her head heavily, hair having come down partially to hang in her face. 

 

“She can't come, a noble women went into labor before Jasmine, so she was called away before we got there. We’re on our own…” She panted out after a minute, causing quite a bit of panic. I see Jasmine’s breathing start to pick up and hurriedly say “But we have Desmond! He’s done this before, so I’m sure we’ll be fine. Right Nadia?” I throw her a glare to make sure she agreed with me, watching her nod with a smile and add “I agree. We’ll be fine without her, just keep breathing Jasmine, you're in good hands.” 

 

She nods slowly, tensing again with a contraction. “Altair, can you hand me the bottle there?” Desmond asks after a few moments. I grab the bottle and remove the cork before passing it to him. He smiled at me as I hand it to him. He poured some on his hands again, using it to wash them before applying it to a bandage he had me hand him.  _ Somehow I feel like this is about to get a lot worse.  _

 

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**Altair POV - Eight Hours Later**

 

**(AN1: Depictions of Birth, and a lot that entails.)**

 

**(AN2: Human birth! If you don't wanna hear about it just skip to the last two sentences. Human birth can take up to 3 days with really bad complications that generally result in hospitalization and other problems, generally fetal and parental death. Statistically, a woman's first child can take over twelve hours to deliver, which is why they ask how many children you have. Thus this one doesn't take as long due to it being her second child. Also, childbirth is one of the messiest experiences for any person, remember this.)**

 

She let's out another scream, clasping Nadia’s and Safiyya’s hands tightly as she arched slightly. I helped Desmond as he worked between her legs, taking the bowl full of soiled bandages to the kitchen, where they were removed and new ones were given to me on the tray. I rushed back to Desmond and Jasmine, hearing her scream again as a contraction hit. It was nearly dark now, and her strength was starting to fade. 

 

This had been terrifying at first, the screaming and orders. However I kinda just shut some of it out after the first hour. All that mattered now was helping her and getting the baby here hopefully without problems. Desmond hadn't moved from his spot between her legs, keeping a constant chorus of positive words as she pushed and struggled with this. However, some things I couldn't completely shut out. 

 

I wince as I don't know how to help anymore than I am, Desmond seems to be perfectly calm. He didn’t even blink any more when she screamed, letting her work through the pain. Nadia carefully wiped down her forehead, Safiyya shakily holding her hand. “Okay, on the next one Jasmine, I need you to push as hard as you can alright?” Desmond suddenly asks, watching her carefully. She nods rapidly, panting in both pain and exertion. 

 

It's not even a minute before she’s crying out again, but this time Desmond encouraged her. “Good, keep that up, just like that. Once more when you can, we’re almost there.” On her next contraction she screams, voice echoing around the room. “Hey there little one! I've got their head, just wait a second.” Desmond happily beams, grabbing a rag and wiping something, his hands oddly placed close to her. “Okay, one more and we should have it.” She nods, and tries when the next contraction hits, but something goes wrong. 

 

I see Desmond’s smile fade slightly and Jasmine picks up on it. “What's wrong!” She worriedly asks, trying to look but unable. He blinks a second before stating “There shoulder is stuck on your pelvis… Safiyya, grab her leg and bend it back, Altair you do the same.” I grab her leg and Desmond helps us push them back until they're nearly parallel with her chest. “Okay, try again.” Desmond adds now that she’s altered her position. With this I can also barely see that he’s holding something. 

 

She screams again, pushing as hard as she could before a second screaming joins with hers, far higher pitched than hers had been. Desmond chuckles as he’s suddenly holding an infant in his arms, cradling it gently. It's  _ coated  _ in something slimy and pinkish, as the little one’s pink and squirming. And  _ loud.  _ Jasmine laughs and smiles in joy, letting go of both her friends and reaching out toward her baby. Desmond grabbed a large cloth and wrapped them up before handing them over. 

 

She laughed with an awed joy, cradling the little one close as Desmond busied himself a moment before he moves closer with two strips of fabric. He tied off the weird, slimy cord between the both of them in two spots, leaving space between before coating a small knife from his belt in the alcohol he got earlier, suddenly reaching over and slicing the cord between the two ties. Safiyya and I gently let her legs go as she relaxed slightly, Desmond laughing and beamed out “Congratulations, you have a healthy baby boy. What would you like to name him? Or have you decided yet?” 

 

She hummed, holding the tiny dark haired baby in her arms. “I quite like Desmond.” She suddenly mused, giving the larger Desmond a smile. He chuckles and replies “I would be honored.” I try to peer closer, seeing that is looks really squishy and pink. She adjusts suddenly, moving enough so I can get a better look as she smiles and asks “What do you think of his name?” 

 

The infant is still coated in whatever is was that Desmond had on him, but the wrapping around it was helping it dry off slightly. Tiny Desmond was crying loudly, but I could see that he had the same shaped nose as Jasmine, yet his hair was darker then hers. I throw her and baby Desmond a warm smile and answer “I like it.” 

 

I get more then one smile in return as Desmond slowly works on whatever is left to do. After a few minutes I notice he’s scraping something into the bowel I got him so many hours ago. “Why don’t you try feeding him if you can, that may help his crying.” Desmond gently proposes as he hands the bowel to another woman. He gently places bandages between her legs before covering her up completely and urging Nadia over. “Can you rub her stomach like this? It’ll help with the last of the bleeding, as will her feeding him.” He gently asks, showing her a circular motion. 

 

She nods with a warm smile and does as asked, watching Jasmine and her new little one. Desmond leaves for a few minutes, giving me time to marvel over the tiny thing that took so many hours to appear. As time passed he lost some of the brightness, and his skin went from an almost angry reddish pink to a softer pink. Jasmine looked at her baby with something close to awe, but filled with love. 

 

It made my heart ache a little, wondering if my mother looked at me like that before she died. Or if she even got a chance to hold me before she died.  _ Did she love me? Did she look at me with the same love and awe as she is? Did my father happily help her choose my name? Or was my name choosing sad as he mourned my mother…  _ Desmond walks back into the room, looking a bit cleaner than he had before. 

 

He smiled slightly before softly laughing out “Come on Altair, let's get back home. We’ll be back tomorrow okay?” I nod slowly as Jasmine beams at him, smiling and cuddling her baby closer as the others start making there way over. Desmond grabbed the bottle and wrapped it in one of the few bandages left. 

 

Desmond and I quietly leave after a few goodbyes, the exhaustion of all that emotional stress comes bearing down upon me. I let out a heavy sigh as we walk out into the cooler air. Desmond quickly pulls his sleeves back down, covering the markings on his arm. We walk in relative silence through the rapidly quieting streets, the sun nearly completely gone by this point. Desmond sighs happily as he stretched his arms over his head, adjusting on of the straps on his robes. 

 

“Do you think my mother looked at me like that?” I suddenly ask him, quietly picking at my gloves. Desmond hums a moment and confesses “Your father spoke to me about your birth once. We were both very drunk admittingly, but he always said that she very nearly  _ hissed  _ at him when he tried to hold you. She held you for nearly six hours, cuddling and cooing to you, even naming you Altair. Your father believed it was because she had a feeling that she wouldn't make it, so she held you till she couldn't anymore. She loved you very dearly Altair, even if she only knew you for a few hours.” 

 

I blink up at him, surprised that I actually got an answer. I smile softly and look back down at my hands.  _ So she did want me…  _ My smile brightens at the thought, adding a bounce to my step and making me pick up the pace. “Werent they bringing new people today?” I ask him, remembering what the Rafiq said earlier. He nods and I say “Then let's run!” He laughs happily, moving in front on me before running off, letting me easily fall in step behind him. 

 

It's far too soon when we make it back to the Bureau, climbing down the fountain into the room below. Desmond just jumps down, rolling to his feet in one smooth move. I laugh as I dart forward, rushing into the other room and seeing Tramir and his apprentices. “She had a boy!” I excitedly half shouted, hearing Desmond follow me into the room and chuckled before adding “He was born about an hour ago. He's a healthy little guy with a strong set of lungs, she's decided to name him Desmond.” 

 

Tramir laughs at the name before nodding. “I bet she's excited, a healthy boy is always a good sign.” He praised lightly before continuing with “In other news, our friends are already here. They just got settled, they’ll join us to eat soon.” Desmond nods and stretches, letting out a soft yawn. I yawn myself a few seconds later, Caspian right behind me. We laugh as everyone systematically yawned, one right after the other. Desmond excuses himself for a minute, saying he needed to change. 

 

Tramir ushered us all into the main room with the fountain, urging us to take a seat amongst the pillows. After a few minutes our guests came in, two boys and three girls. Everyone happily introduced themselves before food was brought to us. I was starving, and I ate like it, causing me to gain a sneer from the eldest girl, who I think was named Nerissa. I ignored her and kept eating, finishing before anyone else. 

 

Desmond joined us after a bit, in a new far cleaner robe. I sip at the small cup of tea in my hands, careful not to burn my tongue on the scalding brew. I grimaced in obvious distaste. “Why do I need to keep drinking this?” I ask Desmond, peering up at my mentor. He chuckles good naturedly and explains “Because that is something that will make sure you don't get sick again. Besides, the doctor told you you’ll have to keep drinking it every night for four more days.” 

 

I quietly pout as I sip at the drink, making a face at the sharply bitter taste. Desmond chuckles again but let's me be. “Desmond my friend! It has been some time.” One of the guards exclaims as he sits to my mentors left, grinning happily as he adds “You should entertain us with a tale! Your stories always brought a chill to my bones and a shiver to my spine!” I perk up instantly upon hearing this. “Please Desmond!?” I ask quickly, looking at my mentor with a hopeful expression. 

 

“Oh please! That would be fun! Tell us of princesses!” A smaller girl with dark black hair named Raisa adds, clapping her hands in excitement. She had on a soft brown dress like the one the woman behind her wore, tied with a black sash. Her hair was darker than I'm guessing her mother's, as they had the same shade of light brown eyes. She looked about six, her hair kept back in a slightly unkempt braid. 

 

“No, monsters! Dragons and beasts slain by heroes!” I guess her brother interjects, sitting excitedly beside her, I think his name was Ittia. His outfit was brown, like the girl. But his hair was a dark brown like the woman behind them, yet his eyes were a far darker brown than either of them had. He looked older as well, almost seven by the looks of him. His hair was cut shorter, almost like mine was done. His did however have a small scar on his face, over his right eye on his forehead. Like something had scratched him. 

 

“What of romance and love? I don't want a silly story with nothing but men swinging swords.” The Nerissa states, braiding her brown hair while looking to Desmond. Both she and her mother wore brown and white dresses, the white in the sash that was tied tightly around her waist. Her eyes were nearly black, like her mother's, and the small boy beside her. The littlest girl was carefully held by the woman, cradled gently in her lap as she ate. Respectively, they looked about ten, five and two. 

 

Desmond hums softly, thinking a moment as he tries to find us a story. “Perhaps this one shall work.” He muses, adjusting in his spot.  **(AN: He’s gonna tell them a version of How To Train Your Dragon, which I do not own. Just a tiny kinda obvious Disclaimer.)** “Out across the ocean, far from here, a few days north of hopeless, and a little south of freezing to death, Lies an island called Berk. One would almost say, it was located on a meridian of misery.” He began, taking a sip of his tea after a moment as we all settle in our places. 

 

He gave us a small smile as he continued with “The men and women upon it were called Vikings, a strong and proud. They had a very different religion than the ones around here. They had Gods, plural. They were famous for their raiding parties, and savage fighting style. They had lived for seven generations on that island, yet every building was new. Because every night, flying from the misty ocean, came  _ Dragons. _ ”

 

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**Altair POV - (AN: Yeah we’re skipping some of the story.)**

 

“So Hiccup adjusted his helmet, and stepped into the arena, hearing everyone cheering and waiting for him… I think we can leave it there for tonight.” He ends with, humor tinging his voice. “What?” I hiss out, wanting to know how it ends. The guard snickered beside him as Desmond shakes his head with a knowing smile. “Look to my other listeners Altair.” He gently urges, making me turn to look at the others. 

 

Tramir was nodding off beside Caspian and Thamir, who were using each other as pillows as they started falling asleep. The others were in varying positions, all looking rather tired. After a moment of looking I realize how tired I was myself, letting out a soft yawn, one Desmond copies after a moment. “Come on, off to bed. Tramir, you do the same with those two.” Desmond quietly coaxed, standing from his place as everyone began to do the same, urging children toward bed, or stretching out across the cushions like the two guards. 

 

“I prefer to see the stars, safety and peace brother.” The largest guard said, laying down under the open section of the bureau roof. The other guards either did the same or went to a room farther within the building. I yawned once more as I made my way back to my room, stretching my arms over my head as I did so. “Make sure you stretch again before you sleep, if not you’ll regret it later.” Desmond reminds me before he tiredly went into his own room, shutting the door softly behind him.

 

I walk into my own room, shutting the door and whining softly in annoyance. I didn't want to stretch again, my arms and legs hurt enough as it is! I groan again and stop a moment.  _ He won't know if I just… Don't do them. He won't even notice!  _ I grin at my plan, pulling off my gloves and beginning to move toward my trunk before stopping.  _ If I change right now then he’ll know…  _ So instead I count up to two hundred, making sure I waited long enough before changing into my nightclothes. I happily crawled under the blankets, snuggling into the warmth they provided as I quickly fell asleep. 

 

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**Altair POV - Dawn**

 

I groan softly in pain as I wake up, my legs cramping as my shoulders and back ached in pain.  _ Oh god I regret it. So much, so very very much.  _ I whimper as I stretch out my legs, climbing from bed and painfully going through the stretches Desmond had showed me. Each move hurt, my muscles cramping and complaining loudly at the movement. I hear Desmond’s door open, but he doesn't knock on my door and I thank my luck that he’s letting me be for a little bit. 

 

I sit on the floor, feeling my body twitch in pain as I try and stop from making to much noise.  _ If he finds out then I’ll get in so much trouble for not doing as he said.  _ I jump when someone knocks on my door, the jump having caused pain to ripple down my body and making me whimper. “May I come in?” Desmond suddenly asks from the other side of the door. “Yeah... “ I reply, hearing and seeing him open the door. He walks in, carrying two cups and sits down across from me. 

 

“You're not going to forget to stretch again, are you?” He commented, raising an eyebrow at me. I flinch and shake my head, trying to make myself look smaller. Desmond hummed in acceptance before handing me one of the cups. “It’ll help with the pain and cramps. It's hot, so sip slowly.” I nod, sipping at the hot drink. It was vaguely sweet, but had hints of lemon and something else. 

 

“Now, while that helps I’m going to teach you a few things that I learned from a rather distant relative of mine. This, is called Lemon Ginger Tea. It's very good for muscle pain and body aches, as well as taste. I tend to put to little honey in it actually, so I don't know if it's up to your standards.” He added as he sipped at his own cup. “I’m not in trouble?...” I softly ask, a little afraid of him being angry at me. 

 

He shakes his head and replies “I think the pain you're feeling is enough of a punishment on it's own. So instead, you get a lesson on medicine.” I sigh in relief as he adds “You will run later though, it’ll hurt more if you don't.” I groan as he chuckles. “Now, let's get started. What do you know about ginger root?” I blink in confusion and say “Um… It tastes great in food?” He shakes his head with a small laugh. “I guess I have my work cut out for me.” 

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cookie to whoever can guess which ‘Distant Relative’ Desmond was talking about. Comment! Review! Tell me what you think!


	7. Of Babies and Blending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Intro and stuff. The Plot thickens! I actually really like how this chapter went.

 

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**Altair POV - Three Days Later**

 

I sprint after Desmond, panting softly as I dart across a balance beam, trying my hardest to keep up. The light of the dying sun throws splashes of orange and red across the sky, lighting up the city below us. “Come on little bird, we have to hurry if we want to make it!” Desmond says as he climbs up the side of a building. 

 

We were headed to another one of the towers he showed me, so I could get a look at the city. But this time we were doing it way later in the day, right before the guards change shifts. Desmond hopped the rail of a roof garden and hid within, an action I copy with much difficulty. I land a bit awkwardly within the enclosed area.

 

Desmond carefully watched outside, another action I copy as he asks “Okay, why do you want to wait for guard changes?” I think a moment and say “Because it's when they’ll be the busiest?” He nods slowly and prompts me by saying “What else?” I think another few minutes as I watch them, before I notice one of the guards, farthest from us, yawn tiredly and shake his head to dispel his tiredness. 

 

“They’re all tired!” I say excitedly, barely remembering to keep my voice soft to make sure I didn’t give us away. The look of approval I recieve made me grin even more as he nods and says “Exactly. The previous guard are all tired and want this to be over. The newer guards don't want to come and so their distracted and annoyed. Thus this is the best time if you want to slip into an area. Another good time is  _ late  _ at night in the middle of two guard shifts.” 

 

I tilt my head to the side and ask “Why the middle?” Desmond looks back to the guards and says “See the third one? Far to the left?” He points the man out, and I look over to see him placing torches with tiny pots of oil in them. He’s lighting them from a small lamp he carried, bringing them to bright, flickering life that casted shadows along the stone roofs. 

 

“Those pots in the Torches are filled with oil, as you know. They burn for a while, but at the middle of the guards watch the torches oil starts running low. So the light they emit starts slowly dying down until they are refilled. At the middle of the night guards shift, they are tired, surrounded mostly by darkness, hungry, and slowly falling asleep. So they fall then into two categories. 

 

One, the jumpy. These are the guards that are half awake but vigilant. They look around for things to distract themselves and often see movement in the flickering light. But, they are more prone to dismiss anything they do see as figments of the imagination. The second is the lazy. They half doze during duty, and make random walks to ensure they stay awake. They will actively check anything they see as amiss to keep themselves awake.” 

 

I nod after he speaks, watching the guards closely before he suddenly says “Now!” We both jump the side of the garden, darting across the expanse of space between us and the tower and climbing up. He stays above me, but close enough to catch me should I fall. We rush up the tower, finally pulling ourselves over the edge and onto the stone of the towers uppermost area. I pant softly as Desmond stretches, rolling his shoulders a bit before asking “Ready to see why we came here?” 

 

I straighten up then, nodding quickly as he moved over to the beam, which was situated so you could peer over the city. He stopped before climbing on, however, and pulled a folded piece of paper from his robes, gently unfolding it and setting it upon the stone. “Look.” He said, motioning me over. 

 

I do as asked, and peer at the paper, stunned to find a beautifully detailed map. It was broken up into three major parts, each building etched out in black ink that contrasted sharply with the pale color of the paper. He motioned to a spot on the upper right of the page. “We’re here, this tower is one of the more protected in the poor district, but worth the patience to climb. Look out there.” He said, motioning out at the city. 

 

I peer over the edge of the stone, looking down to the bustling streets, filled with people and vendors. Desmond then says “The city is massive, and easy to get lost in, which is why you will start practicing making maps. Because while running from guards or fleeing the area of a kill, we don’t have the luxury of gently asking someone where we are. You have to have an escape route chosen, and a backup in place. The more you know, the better prepared you are.” 

 

I slowly nod as he pulls another piece of paper from his robes and hands it to me. He folds up his own map and placed it within his robes and said “Hop up onto the beam, and start drawing your own map. Don’t worry if it isn't as well done as mine, that comes later. Just get a feel of the area, and draw out a sketch of what you can see.” 

 

He passed me a piece of charcoal before letting me climb up and sit on the beam. He lets me be after that, letting me try and etch out the city below me as the sun slowly begins to set. The faint sounds of the city bustling below me as the light fades from the sky. Before it could fully set, though, Desmond ushered us down, quietly slipping by the guards and down into the still-filled streets. 

 

We were slowly making our way back to the Bureau when Desmond suddenly stopped, and made me nearly bump into him. Down a streets alley that looks to be an kind of secluded section is three guards, forming a barrier, and protecting the two guards further in that were pushing someone back and forth, laughing as they struggled. As I watch a second more I see it's a girl, wearing a simple brown dress like many did. 

 

Desmond’s mood darkened at the sight, and he gently pulled me through the crowd, but passed the sight and ducked into an Alley across from them. “I am going to draw them away alright? I need you to get her out of there. Once you have her, go down this alley and make a right. Keep going until you reach a building and can’t go further. Make a left and you’ll begin to enter the Souk Al-Silaah. Keep going and you should see a small garden on the right. Wait for me there, okay?” He says, looking down at me and I shakily nod. 

 

“Repeat the directions to me, and put this in your robes.” He said, pulling a throwing knife from the row on his shoulder and passing it to me as I said “This alley to a right, keep going till I can't and make a left. Go further till I find a garden on the right.” He nods, a small movement as I tuck the knife into my robe in a way I could grab it quickly. 

 

He turned his gaze from me to them and said “Wait until they all follow me before you make an appearance okay? And whatever you do, don’t repeat what I’m about to say here.” I nod at him before he exits the alley and wove through the crowd, making me lose sight of him in the sea of people, even with his white robe. So I crouch a bit and look through people's legs, watching the more armored boots of the guards. 

 

Suddenly I see the softer, leather boots that Desmond wore appear, along with the tail of his robes and see him punch one of the guards to the ground. They rush at him, people scattering as I get a clear view. Desmond had drawn that knife he showed me while we traveled, and he held it in a reverse grip as he opened his arms in a mockingly friendly manner. However he suddenly said “Sorry I’m late, I was just fucking your mother and couldn't get here on time.” 

 

I feel my face heat at what he said, before more than one guard freezes before shouting things like ‘Heretic!’ and ‘Bastard’ before he turns heel and darts away, all of them chasing after him with weapons drawn. I count to three, waiting for them to turn a corner after Desmond before rushing from my hiding spot to the girl. She gives me a terrified look as I say “Come on! He won’t be able to distract them for long!” 

 

I offer her a hand, looking to her imploringly as I shake slightly, not wanting to be here when they lose interest or he outruns them. She grabs my hand after only a heartbeat of consideration and I run back to the alley, rushing down it and turning right. We pass two streets before I hear the pounding of feet over us and urge her to the wall, crouching down and peering up. 

 

We barely hide before Desmond runs over us, almost like he flew over the space between the houses and joyfully shouted “YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HER! SUCH A LOVELY SIGHT ON HER BACK!” A group of guards run after hum, leaping the space with difficulty, but keep on his tail. A few nearly fall on top of us, making us both jump and cling to the other tightly as they are pulled to the roof and they keep chasing Desmond. 

 

Once they pass I grab her hand again and we keep running, turning left when we reach a building and can’t keep going. Merchant stalls started popping up, becoming more and more common as I see a garden to our right and dart inside of it. I finally look back at her and find her panting tiredly, and I feel a pang of regret, having forgotten that I had her to worry about. 

 

I urge her to sit on one of the benches in the thankfully empty garden area. She tiredly regained her breath as we waited, the sun finally setting fully and leaving us with only lamp light that dotted the streets. It's another ten minutes before anyone walks inside, and I’m beyond thankful that it's Desmond. 

 

Desmond who appears to have blood spatter on his right arm and shoulder. His eyes get a warm look as he said “You made it, well done.” I puff up a bit at that before he turns to her and crouched down before her. “Hey there, are you okay? Nothing torn or broken?” She nods slowly, curling up away from him, something he finds no problem with as he pulls away a bit, giving her more space. 

 

“We’re nearby the center of the Souk Al-Silaah, do you know how to get home from here?” He gently asks, calmly waiting for her to respond. She simply shakes her head, keeping silent as Desmond asks “Do you know where they live at all?” She slowly nods and softly said “My father is a scholar in the Middle District… He came here to buy my mother more cloth and I got lost…” Desmond nods and says “Then let's get you to the Middle District, maybe we can find your father there.” 

 

He easily led us away from this area and, after a ways of walking, into a grander area. This was filled with sprawling gardens, stunning buildings and large fountains. We walked the area as she started to recognize things, before we heard someone calling “Hafsah! Where are you? Can you hear me?” We hurry down a street and see a man, dressed like many other scholars with their dark robes and more flashy outfits. 

 

“Father!” The recently named Hafsah calls as she runs from us, and into the waiting arms of her father. He snatched her up into a tight hug, holding her close to his chest as we approach, the pair not noticing us for a minute as the man made sure his daughter was alright. “Ah, hello. I’m sorry I didn’t greet you imm-” Desmond cuts him off with a wave and said “No need, your daughter is far more important than being polite.” 

 

The man nods with a smile and said “I am Tychon El-Amin. I thank you for returning my daughter to me, however I wonder how she acquired two guardians.” Desmond shrugs and says “She got cornered by some guards, we intervened. I am simply happy shes home.” He nods and they spend a few minutes talking, Tychon inviting us back for dinner and Desmond politely refusing, saying we had to get home ourselves before bidding the man farewell. 

 

I barely contain my yawn as we walk back to the Bureau. The families that were only meant to stay a day ended up staying longer because of the Templars, which meant that the bureau was filled with other children, and in some respects that wasn't a good thing. Like how I was woken up by a crying infant more than once, something that seemed to be getting on everyone’s nerves but Desmond’s. I hadn't known that a baby was among the children at first, he had apparently been placed on a pillow, bundled in blankets the first night. 

 

Even the rafiq snapped at the baby's mother once, saying that she should know how to quiet a child. The smallest of them also wasn't used to staying in the bureau, and often were upset about having to stay inside after being allowed to run and travel for almost two weeks between their home and Damascus. However as we approach the bureau we heard faint crying again, but this time it was accompanied by the sound of worried Assassins. 

 

“Why won’t he  _ stop _ ? Is he hungry?” I hear what sounds like Ophir saying before Tramir snapped “And how would we fix him if he was?” Desmond sighed deeply as we climbed into the Bureau and see what’s caused such a ruckus. The two mothers, who had been such prominent figures the last three days were nowhere to be seen, and the others had been left to care for the baby. 

 

Which was screaming at the top of its lungs. The other children had all fallen asleep, showing me just how late we were, as they had piled onto the pillows of the main room and fallen asleep. Even the other apprentices were asleep at this hour, but the adults were panicking over the baby. Desmond approached first and exasperatedly said “What in the name of god is going on?” The others perk up slightly at his voice but deflate as they see it's just us. 

 

The Rafiq, who was holding the little one like it would bite him, looked to Desmond and said “Those two had something to do, I don't remember fully what, but they said they’d be gone for a few hours and that we had to care for the children!” This started a chain reaction of shouting and insults before Desmond snapped “ _ Quiet _ !” Making all of them jump before he darted forward and scooped up the little one from the Rafiq. 

 

He cradled the little one against his shoulder, the one without any knives thankfully, and swayed on his feet gently and spoke softly. “Shh little one, it's okay. I know you miss your momma, but you need to calm down for me please.” After about three minutes the infants screams had died down completely, leaving him to gently clean the babies face, cradling them easily with one arm before looking at the other men. 

 

Everyone, including me, was looking at him like he just performed magic. He looked to all of us and said “Speak softly, if you raise your voice he’ll get scared and that’ll help no one. Now, is there any food? I’m famished.” He gets a few nods as they all, walking with a softness I had never seen before, they even changed the way the stepped slightly, hushing all the sound their footfalls made. 

 

The Rafiq quickly made his way to another room before returning with a tray, urging us both toward the many pillows of the main room. Desmond, however, halted us and gently said “Here, instead of walking like you tend to do, move like this.” He slowly showed me how to move my feet, showing that they all stepped toes first and rolled for the rest of the foot. “Step very gently, and get used to the feeling. Eventually, you’ll be able to move silently.” He said, softly walking to a spot in the main room and sitting down. 

 

I try and copy, but my heel keeps hitting the floor to hard if I move quickly like he did. So I opt for a slower movement that gave me time to gently set my heel on the floor. When I finally sit beside him I let out a sigh of relief, my feet hurting slightly from putting my weight in odd places. He chuckled softly as the Rafiq finally approached and handed us food. It was some kind of rice and pepper dish that was amazing to my famished self. 

 

However I was still slightly in awe of how Desmond was eating, with one hand, while still holding the little one, who was currently half asleep against his chest. I ate rather quickly, nearly inhaling my own food, as I really wanted to get some sleep. But Desmond stopped me from getting up and said “Here, I have no clue when you might use this as a skill, but it's always something good to know.” 

 

Then he set the baby into my arms, causing me to nearly panic. I try and copy what he had done, but the little one started to whimper again as my slight worry morphed into full scale panic before Desmond gently adjusted my arms, moving them until the baby was laid against my chest, making him cling to the material of my robe tightly and make a soft cooing sound as he settled. 

 

“See? Not that hard. I’ll be right back, I’d rather not care for an infant while coated in blood,” He said before standing and leaving me, making me silently panic because I couldn’t call after him, not wanting to risk scaring the little one again. So I held them gently, hoping they wouldn’t start crying again as they tightened their grip on my robe. 

 

After a few minutes my arms started getting tired, and my hand stung from where I had cut it. But I didn’t dare move to much because the baby had finally fallen asleep. However Desmond walked in before my arms fell off and easily took the little one, only for their grip on my robe to become a challenge. But Desmond easily removed the little ones grip and said “Thank you Altair, now off to bed. I bet you're tired.” I nod slowly and stand, watching as he moved around the room a bit, before I left. 

 

When I get back to my room I slowly and tiredly go through my stretches, not wanting a repeat of my previous pain, before climbing into my own sleep clothes. I yawn tiredly as I climb into bed, curling up under the warmth of my blankets from the cooler night time air. Grabbing onto the fluffy pillow I have, I burrow into the warm blankets, which fight off the slowly encroaching winter chill. 

 

Yet on this night I couldn't seem to find sleep, despite my own exhaustion. Masyaf castle had been kinda quiet at night, and my home with my father had also been quiet at night. Damascus is an entirely different matter, people still moving and guards walking, carts that roll down the streets. It's so much  _ noise.  _ I never ever wished for silence more than I did right now. 

 

The thing is I never really noticed it before, I was too tired to care about what I was even sleeping  _ on _ , let alone the noise. Now my mind wouldn't quiet, same as the world around me. Usually I could faintly hear the Rafiq and maybe the guards having soft conversations that could lull me to sleep, but not tonight. 

 

Tonight the noise was from  _ outside  _ and none of it was familiar, none of it comforting. I heard faint shouting, snores from another room, the sharp  _ clip clop  _ of horse hooves on stone, the distant yet constant tramping of boots on stone. My mind raced to identify every sound as I became aware of it, making me curl up tightly as I tried to shut it out, wishing for something to drown out all the excess sound, something I could focus on until I fell asleep. 

 

Then I became aware of someone making sound  _ inside  _ the bureau, but the words I couldn’t half understand, the flowed differently from what I usually heard. It took me a minute to realize it was someone  _ singing  _ in another language. I focus on it, listening closely and I was finally able to partially make out the odd words, the voice was deep and comforting as I began humming along to the tune. 

 

_ “Heave a pawl, O heave away! _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored _ _   
_ _ To be rollicking randy dandy-O! _ __   
  


_ Soon we'll be warping her out through the locks _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks _ _   
_ __ To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

 

_ Heave a pawl, O heave away! _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored _ _   
_ __ To be rollicking randy dandy-O!”

 

It sounded faintly like Desmond, but I couldn't be sure. Yet, with the sound I could at least focus on it, everything else fading to the background as I was lulled to sleep before the song could even finish. 

 

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Desmond POV**

 

I pull a blanket from the small stack in the corner, and with a movement that’s eighty percent luck I manage make it flare out in a way that covered the brother and sister pair that cling to the same pillow. I do the same for the others, covering them gently to prevent any colds or sickness as the Rafiq walked into the room. 

 

I nod at him slowly before he asks “Where on earth did you learn to deal with children? All my life that has been seen to my the women of our families.” I hum a moment, thinking over how I’m going to word my childhood before saying “Where I grew up their were many children, more then there were adults. My mother's sister had twins before dying from complications of childbirth. Her husband couldn't live without her, and threw himself into the creed with a reckless abandon that got him killed. 

 

So my mother took them both in when I was ten. My father was to preoccupied with the Brotherhood to help her, and the other women were worried with their own children. I had no other option but to help her, because it was that or have her collapse from the strain of raising three children on her own. I was still training, but I helped as much as possible, which gave her a breather and let her keep them both.” 

 

_ A half truth, but true enough.  _ I look down to the little bundle in my arms, clinging to my robe tightly with one hand in his mouth, peering innocently up at me. It occurs to me now that I never even asked for the little ones name, unable to keep a small smile from appearing on my face. He nods at me and says “That makes sense… I shall let you be, you seem to have your hands full.” 

 

I chuckle slightly and nod to him before saying “Very well. Safety and Peace Brother.”  _ I also need to remember to say that more often.  _ I move back to the spot I sat in earlier, adjusting until I was laid on my back, the little one laying on my chest. I feel my own exhaustion creeping up on my but know I can’t sleep until the little one at least falls asleep first.  _ Good idea to leave most of my weapons in my room.  _ I think as he pulled at the leather of my belt, one hand firmly in his mouth. 

 

He chewed on his hand and peered innocently up at me, brown eyes blinking slowly before he reached out and grabbed onto the fabric of my mask and yanked hard. I snort as the fabric comes loose, piling around my neck as he pulled on it, grumbling and trying to get closer to my face. 

 

I smile slightly and help him, move until he’s located on the center of my chest and within easy reach of my face. He reached out and grabbed my nose, roughly feeling around the rest of my face. I snicker as I pull away, making him pout at me and reach for my face. Instead I snag a quill out of the pouch around my waist. It's an old one, one I was about to have to get rid of because it has been almost worn down to nothing after sharpening it again and again. 

 

I twirl it within his field of vision, distracting him from my face and where he was grabbing at my scar. He looks to it with wonder as I spin and twirl it around, smiling as he stares at it. He finally pulled his other hand from his mouth and reached out for the object, making a ‘Gimme’ motion with his hand by opening and closing it repeatedly. 

 

I pinch the slightly ink stained end and use the soft end to dart forward and tickle his cheek, making him shriek with laughter. I vaguely notice the Rafiq dart into the room as I move the feather out of the little ones reach, making him reach for it again, happy with this game. I belatedly realize and am thankful that I still have my hood up, the shade should cover my face enough from his distance. 

 

He slipped away after he saw we were fine, and I pull my mask back up as the baby laughed again as I tickled his left ear. His laughter brought another smile to my face as I think back to my mother. I hadn't lied, really, she had taken in her sister’s kids. But she took them in because their mother was killed by Templars somewhere in Asia. Her husband couldn't look at the twins because they reminded him of her. 

 

He died in a shootout with Templars somewhere in Utah, and my mom just took the twins in. Dad wouldn't help because the Brotherhood needed him, and mom couldn't do it on her own while working as an Assassin herself and in our makeshift Hospitals clinic. Which was needed more often than not, with training and roving Assassins. 

 

So I stepped up to help, while getting my ass handed to me on a daily basis by that sadistic fuck of a teacher they thought helped us. The both of them were one of the only sources of joy I had for the next six years. Mia, the elder of the two was like the little one before me, excited and just loving  _ life.  _ Emma was quieter, but adored games and beat my ass at Poker at Six. 

 

_ I haven't seen them since I left… Dad had them starting training… They were thirteen when I died…  _ I shake my head sharply, dispelling the memory as the he finally snagged the feather, gurgling at the feel of it. “It's called a Quill little one, it's made from the Feather of a bird. You use it to write and draw on paper. It's very soft isn't it?” I say, watching him play with the feather and make another gurgling noise. 

 

He played with it for a few minutes before letting out a tired yawn, letting me pluck the Quill from his hand let him lay down on my chest. I grab the blanket that I brought from the pile and drape it over us, yet it's a bit short and my feet hang out of the bottom. I roll my eyes at it before pulling it up until the little one’s covered completely, laying on his belly with his head on my chest. 

 

This brings the blanket up to my knees, but I accept it and gently set my arm on the pillow beside me in a way that I can leave a hand on his back, holding him in place. Once I’m sure I’ll wake up at the tiniest movement from him, I yawn tiredly myself. The little one shifted in annoyance on my chest as I hear a rather loud cart approaching. 

 

Memories swam to the surface, first of Haytham singing a song beside his father Edward as a storm raged outside. Then of Haytham singing the same one softly to himself, laying in his bunk while sailing to America. Finally of Connor, dozing off more than once to the song, curled in his own bunk. I found myself singing it, not even really meaning to fully, but the words fell easily from my tongue as I sang, settling the little one on my chest. 

 

**(AN: The Songs Called ‘Randy Dandy Oh’ and it's actually shown in the fourth game.)**

 

_ “Now we are ready to sail for the Horn _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ Our boots and our clothes, boys, are all in the pawn _ _   
_ _ To be rollicking randy dandy-O! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Heave a pawl, O heave away! _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored _ _   
_ _ To be rollicking randy dandy-O! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Soon we'll be warping her out through the locks _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks _ _   
_ __ To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

 

_ Heave a pawl, O heave away! _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored _ _   
_ __ To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

 

_ Come breast the bars, bullies, heave her away _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ Soon we'll be rolling her down through the Bay _ _   
_ __ To be rollicking randy dandy-O!

 

_ Heave a pawl, O heave away! _ _   
_ _ Weigh hey, roll and go! _ _   
_ _ The anchor's on board and the cable's all stored _ _   
_ _ To be rollicking randy dandy-O!” _ __   
  


With the final notes dying in the air around me, the little one upon my chest had fully fallen asleep, and the other children had curled together, in easy and content piles of warmth. I smile softly, finally adjusting my pillow and slowly dozing off myself, memories of ships and shanties echoing around my mind. 

 

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Altair POV - The Next Morning**

 

I wake up slowly with a long yawn, stretching and sighing with delight before standing up. However I freeze and listen intently after I don't hear the usual sound. I blink in shock before shrugging and thinking  _ Maybe he woke up before me? If that was him last night he may have left to work on something.  _ I donned my robes, adjusting everything into place, moving and fixing until everything felt right before exiting the room and walking down toward the Rafiq and the others. 

 

However, instead of finding everyone piled into the other room, soaking in the morning light through the slatted roof, they all seemed to be peaking into it tentatively. I gently stepped to the door and froze once I saw what was within. Desmond was using one of his arms as a pillow, and was sound asleep, soft gray blanket barely reaching his knees as the baby snuggled against his chest. 

 

His hand fanned out across the little ones back, gently holding and comforting them as they slept. My eyes traveled up his form until I finally saw his face, or  _ part  _ of it. His hair was black like mine, cut short but growing out till it hanged about half an inch on his forehead. His hair curled slightly where it came to his mask, which went from under his ears up to the bridge of his nose. 

 

Now that I can see it better, I see the fabric is a pure white like his robes. It's tucked into the neck of them, hiding everything from under his eyes down. He looked younger than I really imagined him being, but maybe the relaxed look he wore helped with that. The small bits of sunlight that gently filtered in through the slatted roof didn't even seem to rouse him at all, nor the little one dozing on his chest. 

 

Even the other kids are awake by this point, peering at Desmond just as I do. That is before someone dropped something in our room. The object, being a ornately painted vase that held water, shattered upon impact with the ground with a large crash. Desmond reacted instantly, going from laying down on his back to crouched, cradling the little one against his chest with his left arm out slightly to his sid, wrist tilted back just enough to make me wary but not enough to make the blade appear. 

 

After maybe two seconds he realizes what woke him and huffed out a soft laugh, adjusting the little one in his arms as they let out a soft whimper at the rude awakening and yanked his hood back up. But this does little to help as our littlest member seems to have decided to voice his anger at his awakening.  _ Loudly.  _ His cries echoed around the room and made all of us, even the smaller children who were far more used to it, wince at the pitch. 

 

After a few minutes they settled down enough to stop screaming, however Desmond asked “When is his mother due back? He’s hungry and I can’t feed him with what we have here.” While he tugged his hood up into place with one easy move, letting my eyes catch the faint stain of ink on his fingers. No one answers and he nodded, adjusting his belt and rolling his shoulders before the front door suddenly opens. 

 

We whirl around, more than one person reaching for a weapon, the guard in my field of vision setting his hand on his sword hilt calmly before the two missing mothers walked inside hurriedly. The first one inside, the mother of the little one, rushed toward her baby and snagged him from Desmond’s grip before cradling him close. 

 

“Oh little Qadir, I missed you so.” She says softly, finally putting a name to the little one. Desmond nods to her and says “He slept soundly, but I just woke up moments ago so I don’t believe hes been changed.” She smiles softly at him while another woman stepped forward and gently said “See Thana? He’s perfectly fine.” She looks a touch embarrassed while cradling Qadir a little closer. 

 

“I know Suraya, but I worried nonetheless…” Thana says, looking to the her friend and teasingly saying “You were just as panicky when Nerissa was but a babe.” Suraya nods with a small laugh, gently taking her smallest girl from Nerissa, who giggled happily at the sight of her mother. “Hello Malaika, I hope you and your brother werent too much trouble for your sister.” Suraya says, peering fondly at her son, who smiled and nodded, Nerissa nodding as well. 

 

Desmond nods gently at Thana before stepping back to give her space with her baby, rolling his shoulders slightly. “Altair! Give me a moment to get ready and we’ll be leaving, be sure you have everything.” He suddenly says to me, making me nearly jump at the suddenness of it before nodding. He swept by all of us, easily yet silently making his way down the hall and walking into his room. 

 

“Best make sure you have everything, Novice, he won't wait on you.” The Rafiq says, ushering me toward my room. I nod and dart inside, checking over my gear and making sure I had everything before spying the knife I was supposed to keep on my person sitting on my nightstand, instead of tucked into the spot on the center of my belt, where it should be. 

 

I rush over and snatch it up, tucking it carefully into place as fast as I can without stabbing myself. I glance rapidly around my room, making sure I didn't forget anything else before walking out of my room. Desmond stepped out of his a moment later, sliding his bow over his shoulder in one easy move. 

 

He’d moved the knife on his back to make room for his quiver, black feathered arrows visible over his shoulder. He nods to me and we head out of the Bureau, climbing onto the roof before we both go through stretches. Tramir climbs up not to long after, my friends following him. “What shall you do today my friend?” Tramir asks, stretching an arm over his chest. 

 

Desmond grinned and said “Blending, bartering, haggling, the basics of any Apprentice Assassin. With the Templars in the city, it’ll be best I teach him to hide in plain sight.” I brighten, excited to learn what we’d be doing today. I was having to keep myself from bouncing in place as I waited for Tramir’s response, which was actually rater quick. 

 

“I see, I was planning to take them to meet a contact of mine, so I guess we shall split ways.” He says easily, motioning toward the Rich District. A portion of this conversation however passes in silence, Desmond and Tramir having a silent battle as Desmond raised an eyebrow and peered over at the Rich District, before back to Tramir. 

 

Tramir raised an eyebrow himself, raising himself up a bit and almost  _ daring  _ Desmond to challenge him, before Desmond took a step back and said “I shall trust your judgement, my friend. Safety and Peace.” Tramir calms then, nodding and offering the same words of Peace and Safety before we go our separate ways. 

 

Desmond and I hit the streets, while Tramir and my friends run along the rooftops. In the small abandoned building that we had perched a ladder in Desmond shows me how to stand again. “Blending is always a good way to get information without being noticed. Here, in Damascus and further in Jerusalem, many will mistake us for Scholars, letting us pass without a fight. In Acre, they will believe you to be a simple priest.” He says easily, slowly showing me the slow but calm steps he takes. 

 

“Try it yourself, take calm and even steps. Try and match the pace of the Scholars from before.” He encouraged, urging me into the crowd. That’s how the next two hours went, practicing  _ walking  _ at an incredibly slow pace. My feet were also starting to hurt from walking at such a weird pace and in such an odd way. 

 

We were just outside the Souk Al-Salah, which had people flocking to it for the shade as the sun climbed into the sky, chasing off what little chill had lingered in the air from last night. I was once again caught up in the sights and sounds, looking from one side to the other as I soaked in the people around me, subconsciously reaching up and grabbing onto Desmond’s belt as I looked about. 

 

He gently wove us through the crowd, and finally into the shade of the Souk, the temperature lessening greatly in the shade, as I was bombarded by even  _ more  _ things. Some people carried jars upon their heads, workers carry wood and tools, families set up shops, cooks served fresh food to a line of people, guards stalked up and down the paths.  _ There was just so much to see.  _

 

I ended up drawing closer to Desmond, not used to so many people rushing by, brushing against you without meaning to. It's then that I feel a gentle arm around my shoulders, pulling me close and keeping others from touching me so that I slowly relax a bit as we move into a small line of people. 

 

“You okay? Do we need to leave?” He asks softly, ruffling my hair gently. I shake my head and say “I’m okay now…” He nods and we go through this line, the scent of the vendors wares becomes rather appetizing as we wait. “You didn't get time to eat, did you?” He suddenly asks, peering down at me and I sheepishly shake my head. 

 

He nods in reply and says “Here they sell one of my favorite foods, we’ll grab enough for the both of us and get out of here for a bit, we can haggle with some of the merchants on the streets nearby.” I nod and we are pushed up to the vendor next, Desmond easily conversing and getting a decently sized woven platter filled with what looks to be pieces of meat, but smelled faintly of spiced wine and goat cheese. 

 

He paid quickly and pulled us from the area, down two streets before up a building. We sit down at the edge of a roof in the shade of another building and he offers me the platter. I carefully take one of the pieces and look at him in slight confusion. He smiled slightly and said “They pit dates and dry them; once dried they poach them in a spiced wine, then stuff them with goat cheese and wrap them in bacon and bake them. Try it, it's amazing.” 

 

I gently bite into mine, smiling at the taste. The bacon was salty, but the date was sweet with hints of wine, then the cheese was creamy and rich. I quickly devoured the other half of it, seeing and hearing Desmond chuckle at me before saying “I guess we’ll have to get them more often, huh?” I nod rapidly as I snag another one, the two of us easily clearing the plate. 

 

Once done he stands and stretches slowly, rolling his shoulders and saying “Alright. Now to find a merchant that sells cloth, I have a gift to make for our two guests.” He then, with all the confidence in the world, steps off the edge of the building and tumbles to his feet. I try and copy, but end up unable to roll back up to my feet. 

 

“That part comes with practice, you’ll get it with time.” He says easily as we walk back toward the Souk, however we don't enter it, instead turning right and approaching a fabric stall not to far from the entrance. Desmond walks up to the mostly ignored stall and asks “What kinds of fabric do you have?” 

 

The man, who had previously been organizing something jumped at his words, but brightened and said “Many kinds! I have silks from China, cotton from Egypt, even cotton crafted by French hands if that’s what you fancy.” Desmond nods and asks “The Egyptian cotton, how much do you have?” 

 

He turned on his heel, spinning around and snagging two bolts of fabric, one a pure white, the other a deep indigo color. My eyes were drawn to the stunning blue, which almost looked like the sky. However Desmond checks the feel of the white bolt, and then says the amount he’ll need. Then all of my attention was on them as they began to haggle over the price. 

 

“Two hundred, you got quite the large amount of fabric my friend.” The vendor said, watching Desmond with a small smile. “One hundred and fifty, I could buy twice this much of Damascus cotton elsewhere.” Desmond replies, a faint smile on his face as well. “True, but this is  _ Egyptian cotton  _ and worth more.” 

 

They bounced back and forth, neither changing the price before finally Desmond said “One hundred seventy five, right in the middle. We both win, you get more than I was willing to give, I get it for under two hundred.” The man nods and Desmond paid the man and he rolled the amount of fabric we bought upon a small piece of wood and cut it easily, handing us the bolt and bidding us a good day. 

 

We had barely walked away before Desmond grinned in triumph. “Normally, little one, it's rather hard to find Egyptian cotton, so we were rather lucky that we managed to find someone with it. Now to find a seamstress.” He says, and we suddenly stop and speak to a woman seated upon a bench. 

 

“Hello Ma’am, do you happen to know where a seamstress may work?” Desmond asks warmly, the woman perking up suddenly and looks us both over. “My sister works not far from here, she does most of the stitching for my family.” She motions to the the seams upon her dress, which seem normal to me but Desmond nods and says “She seems very good, could you direct me to her?” 

 

She smiled before giving us a handful of directions to her shop and bids us a good day. Desmond and I walk to the house, where two young boys played in the street in front of the house, but darted inside while calling for their mother. She greeted us at the door with a wary look, mostly pointed at the bow on his shoulder and asked “Hello, what can I do for you two?” 

 

Desmond smiled easily and said “Hello, I was wondering if you are a seamstress? Your sister directed us here… If we followed the directions correctly.” She brightens considerably and nods. “I am, how can I help you?” Desmond shows her the fabric and says “I was curious if you could split this in half and hem it for me?” 

 

She takes the fabric, marveling for a moment at the feel of it before nodding and saying “That I can, it should take a day, maybe two if something happens at home. Price will be negotiated when my work is done?” The last bit is said with a soft glare at the both of us, I push down the urge to hide behind Desmond a bit at the look, but he nods easily and says “Perfectly fine with me. May I come by tomorrow an hour before dark?” She nods and we leave, the sun at its height and chasing most people into the shaded areas. 

 

“So what have we learned about haggling?” He suddenly asks and nearly makes me jump. I swallow reflexively and say “Always drop the price drastically, that’ll make the vendor lower his price slightly to make it seem better and in the end you pay less and they get goods sold.” He nods in approval and I nearly grin, feeling a glimmer of pride at his approval. 

 

I’m excited before Ophir rushed up to us, motioning us quickly over to an alleyway. We rush over, Desmond’s strides long and purposeful. I almost jog to keep up as Desmond says “What happened.” Ophir shakes his head and says “Tramir was caught, the Templars managed to snag one of his apprentices, Tramir got the boy free but was caught himself. Last I saw, they were dragging him off to their camp.” 

 

My blood runs cold, making me shiver as I grab onto Desmond’s belt again, a reflex at this point as Desmond nods. “When?” He asks, voice almost snapping at the courier. “Ten minutes ago, those boys managed to find the bureau, I managed to see them dragging him off and came to get you.” 

 

Desmond nods and says “Best place to grab him back would be the lowest portion of the Rich District, they’ll have to go through there to drag him to their holdings.” Then he starts slightly and peers at me before muttering something in a language I didn't know, and apparently Ophir didn't either but it confirmed that Desmond  _ was  _ the one singing last night. The words sounded just like the songs did. 

 

He crossed his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose before Ophir says “I’ll take him back to the bureau if you need to go now.” However, Desmond looks wary at the thought of that. “I don't like this, but I’ll have to agree.” He says through obviously clenched teeth, before ruffling my hair and saying “I’ll be back soon little bird, stay safe, alright?” I nod before he throws a look at Ophir and climbs the wall and takes off across the rooftops. 

 

We wait long enough for the sound of his footsteps to vanish amongst the sounds of the city before I go to turn to Ophir, only for a sudden, nearly blinding pain the emanate from the back of my head and knock me to the ground. I slam into the ground, darkness consuming my vision as I feel someone grab me from the ground and throw me over what might be a shoulder before I pass out.

 

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we shall stop here because Cliffhangers are great places to start the next chapter from!

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s Chapter 1. What do you think? Thoughts? Comment! Review!


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